REVEALED: How many queries your West Northamptonshire councillor raised in a three-year period – as WNC plans to raise allowances

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request shared with the Chronicle & Echo has revealed the number of member enquiries raised by West Northamptonshire councillors between April 2021 and March 2024 – offering a glimpse into which councillors were most active in raising concerns and casework on behalf of residents.

At the top of the list is Independent councillor Julie Davenport, who submitted a staggering 1,891 member enquiries – more than triple the next highest on the list.

She is followed by former Conservative councillors Sam Rumens (538) and Mike Hallam (466), with Labour councillors Janice Duffy (341), Danielle Stone (326), and Emma Roberts (263) also among the most active. All five are no longer councillors.

At the bottom of this article is the full breakdown of the FOI findings.

On Thursday (June 26), WNC will prepare to vote on a proposal to raise councillor allowances from July 2025, based on recommendations by the council’s Independent Remuneration Panel.

Under the proposed new scheme, the basic allowance for councillors would rise to £16,454.33 per year, an increase of 2.5 percent. On top of that, those in special roles would receive significantly more.

The total cost of the new scheme is estimated at £1.66 million. The report notes that councillors are only allowed to claim one allowance, even if they hold multiple roles.

Reacting to the proposed rise, councillor Julie Davenport – who topped the FOI list – called for more transparency in councillor workload.

She said: “Some councillors work very hard for their allowances but many do not. I do think that with the allowance from the taxpayer, councils should start publishing the work every councillor does to earn that money, bearing in mind most councillors have a full-time job and some also have a family to juggle with their councillor duties and some are a chair of a committee as well.

“I’ve never agreed with what committee chairs earn, which is more than their basic allowance, for attending 6–10 meetings a year as the chair.

“Councillors do not have to take that allowance. They can advise Democratic Services if they just want a certain percentage of the money, and I do know of one who did not take any allowance.”

It is important to note that the make-up of WNC has now changed. The May 2025 local elections saw Reform UK win full control of the council, taking 42 of the 76 seats. The new Reform majority is now expected to make a final decision on the proposed allowance increases on Thursday (June 26). Member enquiries are requests or questions from elected council members to council departments, often on behalf of residents or for information gathering.

FULL LIST: Councillor Member Enquiries, 2021–2024

(FOI data seen by the Chronicle & Echo)

Councillor Name | Enquiries | Party

Julie Davenport | 1891 | Independent

Sam Rumens | 538 | Conservative

Mike Hallam | 466 | Conservative

Janice Duffy | 341 | Labour

Danielle Stone | 326 | Labour

Emma Roberts | 263 | Labour

Keith Holland-Delamere | 214 | Labour

Winston Strachan | 204 | Labour

Rufia Ashraf | 190 | Labour

Adam Brown | 159 | Conservative

Daniel Lister | 145 | Conservative

Catherine Russell | 129 | Labour

Nigel Hinch | 109 | Conservative

Gareth Eales | 107 | Labour

Paul Joyce | 106 | Labour

James Hill | 98 | Conservative

Bob Purser | 96 | Labour

Dennis Meredith | 96 | Liberal Democrat

Zoe Smith | 93 | Labour

Ian McCord | 87 | Independent

Stephen Clarke | 81 | Conservative

Andre Savage | 80 | Conservative

Rupert Frost | 79 | Conservative

Anamul Haque | 76 | Labour

Nick Sturges-Alex | 75 | Conservative

Pinder Chauhan | 69 | Conservative

Phil Bignell | 68 | Conservative

Karen Cooper | 67 | Conservative

Matt Golby | 64 | Conservative

David Smith | 64 | Conservative

Wendy Randall | 63 | Labour

Jonathan Harris | 63 | Liberal Democrat

Anna King | 59 | Conservative

Rosie Humphreys | 59 | Liberal Democrat

Jamie Lane | 57 | Conservative

Ken Pritchard | 54 | Conservative

Alison Eastwood | 54 | Conservative

Ray Connolly | 51 | Conservative

Phil Larratt | 50 | Conservative

Cecile Irving-Swift | 47 | Conservative

John Shephard | 46 | Conservative

Rosie Herring | 45 | Conservative

Dermot Bambridge | 45 | Conservative

Fiona Cole | 42 | Conservative

Harry Barrett | 40 | Labour

Terrie Eales | 40 | Labour

Charles Manners | 34 | Conservative

Louisa Fowler | 33 | Conservative

Jonathan Nunn | 29 | Conservative

Sue Sharps | 29 | Labour

Koulla Jolley | 24 | Labour

Brian Sargent | 24 | Conservative

Fiona Baker | 22 | Conservative

Andrew Kilbride | 22 | Conservative

Antony Bagot-Webb | 21 | Conservative

Suresh Patel | 21 | Conservative

Stephen Hibbert | 19 | Conservative

Paul Clark | 17 | Independent

Rebecca Breese | 16 | Conservative

Sally Beardsworth | 16 | Liberal Democrat

Lizzy Bowen | 14 | Conservative

Mohamed Rahman | 14 | Conservative

Mike Warren | 12 | Conservative

Cheryl Hawes | 12 | Conservative

Paul Dyball | 11 | Conservative

Michael Brown | 8 | Conservative

Imran Chowdury | 8 | Conservative

Walter Tarasiewicz | 7 | Labour

Alan Chantler | 7 | Conservative

Jamal Alwahabi | 6 | Labour

Andrew Grant | 3 | Conservative

Penny Flavell | 3 | Conservative

Jo Gilford | 3 | Conservative

Muna Cali | 3 | Labour