Epsom and Ewell Councillor allowances
Councillor allowance bill rises £19,275 in a year
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s bill for councillor allowances rose by more than £19,000 last year, with 30 of the borough’s 35 councillors receiving more than in the previous financial year.
The Council paid a total of £285,011.33 in members’ allowances in 2025/26, compared with £265,736.49 in 2024/25 – an increase of £19,274.84, or 7.25%.
The newly published figures cover the financial year from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. The previous return covers 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Much of the increase resulted from the basic allowance payable to every councillor rising from £5,779.86 to £6,202.68 – an increase of £422.82, or 7.3%.
Across all 35 councillors that added £14,798.70 to the bill. In other words, just over three-quarters of the £19,275 year-on-year increase arose from the increase in the basic allowance alone.
Special Responsibility Allowances – additional payments for councillors holding particular positions – increased collectively from £62,822.38 to £67,359.72, an increase of £4,537.34.
Travel and subsistence payments actually fell slightly, from £619.01 to £557.81. No dependants’ carers’ allowances were recorded in either year.
The Council states that Special Responsibility Allowances do not relate to actual attendance at meetings but to membership of committees and panels, and that allowance payments are subject to Income Tax and National Insurance.
McCormick remains highest-paid councillor
Cllr Steven McCormick topped the table for the second successive year. His total increased from £16,983.46 to £18,608.16, a rise of £1,624.70.
For clarity, McCormick was a Residents’ Association councillor throughout the 2025/26 financial year. Although EEBC’s present councillor page now records him as Conservative, the Council’s earlier listing recorded him as RA and he contested the new East Surrey Council election on 7 May 2026 as a Residents’ Association candidate for Epsom Town and Downs. His subsequent change of allegiance therefore falls outside the period covered by these allowance figures.
Second highest was Cllr Neil Dallen, whose payment increased from £15,645.76 to £17,057.52, a rise of £1,411.76.
Council Leader Cllr Hannah Dalton moved from second to third place and was one of only five councillors whose total payment fell. She received £16,266.40, £429.41 less than the £16,695.81 received in 2024/25. The difference largely reflects a reduction in her Special Responsibility Allowance and travel and subsistence payments.
The other councillors whose total payments fell were Humphrey Reynolds (£175.96 less), Steve Bridger (£75.76 less), Julian Freeman (£52.16 less) and Bernie Muir (£52.16 less).
Biggest rises
After McCormick’s £1,624.70 increase, the biggest cash increases went to:
John Beckett – up £1,474.94
Neil Dallen – up £1,411.76
Alan Williamson – up £1,395.42
Clive Woodbridge – up £1,214.94
The percentage comparison can sometimes exaggerate relatively small payments, but Cllr Beckett’s total nevertheless rose by almost a quarter, from £6,278.44 to £7,753.38.
At the other end of the scale, 12 councillors received no Special Responsibility Allowance in 2025/26 and were paid simply the basic £6,202.68 allowance.
The two published returns show all 35 councillors serving in both financial years, allowing a direct like-for-like comparison.
Councillor allowances compared
The table is ranked by the latest, 2025/26, total.
| Councillor / ward / party during 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven McCormick — Woodcote & Langley Vale — RA | £16,983.46 | £18,608.16 | +£1,624.70 |
| Neil Dallen — Town — RA | £15,645.76 | £17,057.52 | +£1,411.76 |
| Hannah Dalton — Stoneleigh — RA | £16,695.81 | £16,266.40 | −£429.41 |
| Clive Woodbridge — Ewell Village — RA | £12,431.10 | £13,646.04 | +£1,214.94 |
| Liz Frost — Woodcote & Langley Vale — RA | £9,790.14 | £10,562.54 | +£772.40 |
| Peter O’Donovan — Ewell Court — RA | £9,648.02 | £10,544.64 | +£896.62 |
| Phil Neale — Cuddington — RA | £8,131.92 | £8,994.00 | +£862.08 |
| Alan Williamson — West Ewell — RA | £7,553.56 | £8,948.98 | +£1,395.42 |
| Bernice Froud — Woodcote & Langley Vale — RA | £7,802.86 | £8,373.72 | +£570.86 |
| Christine Cleveland — Ewell Village — RA | £7,727.52 | £8,063.52 | +£336.00 |
| John Beckett — Auriol — RA | £6,278.44 | £7,753.38 | +£1,474.94 |
| Shanice Goldman — Nonsuch — RA → Conservative | £7,300.16 | £7,488.26 | +£188.10 |
| Kate Chinn — Court — Labour | £6,708.26 | £7,173.00 | +£464.74 |
| Rachel King — Town — RA | £6,539.96 | £7,133.04 | +£593.08 |
| Jan Mason — Ruxley — RA | £6,358.22 | £6,822.96 | +£464.74 |
| Humphrey Reynolds — West Ewell — RA | £6,998.92 | £6,822.96 | −£175.96 |
| Chris Watson — Ewell Court — RA → Labour | £6,286.66 | £6,822.96 | +£536.30 |
| Alison Kelly — Stamford — Liberal Democrat | £5,779.86 | £6,719.58 | +£939.72 |
| Kieran Persand — Horton — Conservative | £5,779.86 | £6,719.58 | +£939.72 |
| Bernie Muir — Horton — Conservative | £6,658.22 | £6,606.06 | −£52.16 |
| Alex Coley — Ruxley — Independent | £5,993.54 | £6,593.09 | +£599.55 |
| James Lawrence — College — Lib Dem → Independent | £5,779.86 | £6,552.72 | +£772.86 |
| Julian Freeman — College — Liberal Democrat | £6,358.22 | £6,306.06 | −£52.16 |
| Arthur Abdulin — Town — RA | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Chris Ames — Court — Labour | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Steve Bridger — Stamford — RA | £6,278.44 | £6,202.68 | −£75.76 |
| Tony Froud — Stoneleigh — RA | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Rob Geleit — Court — Labour | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Christine Howells — Nonsuch — RA → Independent | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Graham Jones — Cuddington — RA | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Robert Leach — Nonsuch — RA | £6,029.16 | £6,202.68 | +£173.52 |
| Lucie McIntyre — West Ewell — RA | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Julie Morris — College — Independent | £6,179.82 | £6,202.68 | +£22.86 |
| Kim Spickett — Cuddington — RA | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| Darren Talbot — Auriol — RA | £5,779.86 | £6,202.68 | +£422.82 |
| TOTAL | £265,736.49 | £285,011.33 | +£19,274.84 |
Political allegiances also shifted during the year covered by the figures. Shanice Goldman left the Residents’ Association for the Conservatives in January 2026, Chris Watson moved from the RA to Labour in February, and James Lawrence left the Liberal Democrats for the Independent Group in March. Christine Howells, who had been an RA councillor during part of the year, was also sitting as an Independent by its end. Steven McCormick remained an RA councillor throughout the 2025/26 financial year; his subsequent move to the Conservatives came after the May 2026 unitary council election, which he contested unsuccessfully for the Residents’ Association in Town and Downs.
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Image: Epsom and Ewell Borough Council Chamber. EEBC YouTube