Freeze put on councillors’ allowances (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Freeze put on councillors’ allowances
10:50am Saturday 16th January 2010 in News
A FREEZE on allowances for councillors has been agreed in light of wage cuts for council workers and the furore over MPs’ expenses.
Councillors voted to reject recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel to increase allowances and chose to stay with the current rate of £7,709 for 2010/11.
The proposal was supported across the political spectrum with the eventual resolution being put forward by Tory council leader Rod Bluh and supported by Labour leader Derique Montaut.
The only increase in expenditure agreed was a £4,211 special responsibility allowance for the new post of chairman of the audit committee, which is currently Coun Michael Dickinson (Freshbrook and Grange Park).
Coun Montaut said more needed to be done to show the public councillors were providing value for money.
He said: “We have to make a statement to the public or we will end up in a similar situation to what happened nationally. We have managed to avoid the kind of reaction that was given to MPs but we can’t be complacent.
“The decision on setting councillor allowances has to be taken out of the hands of politicians so the public has complete trust.”
Deputy leader Coun Fionuala Foley disagreed that MPs expenses had played a role in making councillors more cautious.
“That was an entirely different matter,” she said.
“For the Conservative party this was about the financial situation.
“The majority of workers are not seeing pay rises and a lot are getting pay cuts so we have a duty to do the right thing – that’s why we recommended a freeze.”
Lib Dem leader Stan Pajak also supported the move, saying his group had called for an allowance freeze in previous years to help safeguard services.
He said: “Politicians have never been so disliked, so I’m sure that was on a lot of people’s minds. We’re more unpopular now than estate agents, maybe even journalists.
“I’m sure people were thinking about MPs’ expenses and the single status debates.
“This was the right decision. I think the council tax payers needed to see some sort of sacrifice. It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, it has in the elections.”
Parish councillors will also receive no increase in their allowances.
Comments(6)
Grimwald
says...
1:53pm Sat 16 Jan 10
If Blunsdon needs only one and Penhill, Toothill & Westlea and Walcot only need two why does the rest of the town have to have three Councillors per ward? I suggest that a reduction to two would be the way forward and a small increase in the rewards to make it more worthwhile. We do not need 59 Councillors in this Unitary Authority!!
itsamess
says...
3:32pm Sat 16 Jan 10
trustnopolitician
says...
10:26am Sun 17 Jan 10
Fat Chance Bob.
At £6 per hour the allowance works out a shade under 25 hours per week- £148 per week.
We don't need more than (say) 12 Councillors and we certainly dont need decisions based on party politics.
As I have suggested before - An elected Mayor with executive authority and maybe a non political monitoring committee elected by taxpayers - not more than five people.
Have you looked at the regeneration mess in the Town Centre lately - what a shambles! Just one example of this council's uselessness.
Captain Sensible
says...
11:01am Sun 17 Jan 10
Grimwald
says...
1:24pm Mon 18 Jan 10
Now that will prove what the people really think about our Representation or rather the lack of it should I say? Perhaps as well as offering himself to the people of Dorcan Rod Bluh could be persuaded to test his policies to the whole Borough and stand as an elected Mayor, after all he he has already assumed the persona!!
Bobfm says...
11:16am Sat 16 Jan 10