Mayor defends £110,000 expenses

8:00am Monday 23rd July 2012 in News By David Wiles

Councillor Mick Bray Councillor Mick Bray

SWINDON mayor Mick Bray has come under fire from the Taxpayers’ Alliance for defending the ‘shocking’ £110,000 spent annually on the mayor’s office and allowance.

Figures obtained by the Adver show the total includes £83,400 spent on the mayor’s four dedicated staff, including a salary of £14,241 to £16,968 on the mayor’s attendant, who is the chauffeur and mace bearer, and a salary of £24,846 to £28,280 on the secretary.

Coun Bray also has £10,000 as a personal allowance, and deputy mayor, Coun Nick Martin , has £3,500, to spend on things associated with their duties, such as clothes for themselves and their consorts, presents for dignitaries, and tickets to events.

In contrast, the mayor of Royal Wootton Bassett , Mike Leighfield, has an allowance of £3,200, out of which he must pay for everything, including petrol for his own vehicle, which he must drive himself to engagements.

One volunteer fulfils the roles of town crier, mace-bearer and sword bearer, and there are no dedicated mayoral staff, but one of the admin officers doubles up as a secretary.

The revelations come only weeks after Coun Bray joined a campaign for the names of retired mayors to continue to be added to the solid gold mayoral chain – at a cost of more than £15,000.

Meanwhile, Swindon Council must close an estimated £15m funding gap for 2013/14, and the administration recently warned it might have to choose between cutting the grass and caring for vulnerable people.

Coun Bray said no savings could be made because the mayor has to set certain standards as the representative of the borough, so for him it was a choice between having a mayor and not.

He said he would be too busy to process his own appointments, which would mean hours on the phone, and pointed out that the chauffer was also a personal attendant.

He said: “To put it bluntly, no office, no mayor. You just cannot operate without one. And it’s not a part-time function, you cannot say these persons could be doing a committee job and do the mayor’s work later on in the day.

“I know my staff are fully concentrating on emails which they receive overnight for the first part of the day before they get to the nitty-gritty of dealing with anything else.”

But Robert Oxley, campaign manager at the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “Councils have to find big savings in the coming years and Swindon’s mayor shouldn’t think that he is exempt from that.

“Many people value the role of a ceremonial mayor but will be shocked at this bill for his extensive staff and chauffeur-driven car. If other mayors can find practical ways to cut costs, then so should Swindon’s.”

Swindon’s previous mayor, Coun Ray Ballman , carried out a total of 480 functions in her year, while Royal Wootton Bassett’s mayor, Coun Leighfield, said he had done about 400 in his last stint as first citizen of the town.

He said: “I cannot talk for them, but it just seems an awful amount of money if Mick only does the 500 functions per year and we do 400 or so. It does seem an enormous amount of money,” said Coun Leighfield.

Coun Ballman said Swindon’s mayor needed a chauffeur-driven car to give the impression that it is a proud, prosperous town, while the driver was also a personal security guard and helper, which was imporortant when the gold chain was worn in public.

She said: “If I drove a three-wheeler and I turned up in a three-wheeler with the chain on, what sort of impression does that give for Swindon? We meet delegations from China and all over the place, they have a very high regard for the office of mayor and if we turned up in our own bit of whatever it is, it doesn’t look quite right.”

Council leader Rod Bluh said the council was always looking to cut costs, but these could only be brought so low and the administration in organising the mayor’s activities was considerable.

He said the mayor was an important part of civic life who did a lot of fundraising. Coun Ballman raised at least £11,429 for charity.

Comments(70)

Always Grumpy says...
8:33am Mon 23 Jul 12

Sounds like an excellent argument for doing away with the office of mayor altogether - especially as Martin looks like being the next one. That particularly selfish individual will milk it for all it's worth, you can be sure of that.
As for raising £11k for charity, that works out at spending around £10k for every thousand raised - not very sound economics.

Report this post »

mrjdoe says...
8:39am Mon 23 Jul 12

In these tough econimic times we all have to make sacrifices and cuts, at least thats what this current government spews out on a daily basis. Its funny how "we're all in this together" yet when it comes down to some actual fiscal conservatism the rich and politically powerfull defend the extreme amounts of money they get through expenses and "donations" like it's a constitutional right they have! I for one have had about enough of these fat cat pretenders, who are so out of touch with society they wouldn't know a real job if it slapped them in the face with a P45. I'm all for having a mayor for swindon but for the love of the people lets have one that represents who we are as a society, not one that represents all the corruption and greed that litters our government and elite.

Report this post »

fatman says...
9:21am Mon 23 Jul 12

What a surprise Bluh defending the undefendable how the voters voted for him at the last election is unbeleivable with his track record

Report this post »

swindon_mini says...
10:04am Mon 23 Jul 12

"In contrast, the mayor of Royal Wootton Bassett , Mike Leighfield, has an allowance of £3,200, out of which he must pay for everything, including petrol for his own vehicle, which he must drive himself to engagements.

One volunteer fulfils the roles of town crier, mace-bearer and sword bearer, and there are no dedicated mayoral staff, but one of the admin officers doubles up as a secretary."

Chalk and Cheese! The Mayor of Swindon chairs the 1st Tier of Local Government of a population of 200000. The Mayor of Royal Wootton Basset chairs the 2nd Tier of local government and until recently the 3rd Tier of local government of a population of 11,000. In contrast the Lord Mayor of London (NOT Boris) has a budget of £11.82 million and an electorate the same size as Royal Wootton Basset.

Report this post »

PaulD says...
10:26am Mon 23 Jul 12

I have never seen the Swindon Mayor, have never known who he is , have never known what he has done, until such times as stories like this appear.

What on earth do we need one for?

Report this post »

A.Baron-Cohen says...
10:27am Mon 23 Jul 12

£110,000 that is more than is claimed by MP Tomlinson!!
I am shocked to learn that my taxes are being used to pay for such trivial/useless things: clothes for themselves their consorts, presents for dignitaries, and tickets to events when we have to cut urgent and essential services for vulnerable people!!!
I am disguted in fact.

Report this post »

Bimbosforjustice says...
11:56am Mon 23 Jul 12

Cllrs Ballman was a good mayor. You don't need so much admin support. Can you amalgamate the role of chauffeur and admin into one?

Cllr Ballmans point on the car is an important one you can't compete on an international scale of it looks as of we're a bunch of small town hicks driving cortinas cobbling together what we can it would create a poor impression. Saying that perhaps we could hire vehicles for those events and not at all times where it's say in a garge

Report this post »

jamos01 says...
12:28pm Mon 23 Jul 12

So here's hoping he actually BUILT Something usefull with that cash? I'de have expected him to earn that much money by fixing some of the mech's institute? For real tho'? 110k a year! JOKE!

Report this post »

The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man says...
12:48pm Mon 23 Jul 12

In these austere times we shouldn't be paying for anything that doesn't somehow bring economic benefit to us.

I have no issue with the mayor spending that sort of money or even more, so long as they can provide irrefutable evidence that they bring at least 10% more than that to the table in terms of economic investment, jobs or services. If they can't.... time for them to go!

Report this post »

swindon_mini says...
12:49pm Mon 23 Jul 12

jamos01 wrote:
So here's hoping he actually BUILT Something usefull with that cash? I'de have expected him to earn that much money by fixing some of the mech's institute? For real tho'? 110k a year! JOKE!
The Mayor doesn't get anywhere near that amount. Even with all of his allowances he probably gets less that a single mum with 2 children! FACT! The Mayors of Swindon do this for the love of serving their community, maybe some because of the pomp and circumstance, but they certainly do not do it for the money!

Report this post »

The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man says...
1:08pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Swindon_mini - agreed, hardly a millionaires lifestyle, but £110k spent by his administration is a lot of money for little perceived benefit - what does the mayor and his office do exactly, beyond attending various 'jollies' and opening church fêtes?

Report this post »

Russell Holland says...
1:17pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc.

If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor.

The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.

Report this post »

swindon_mini says...
1:21pm Mon 23 Jul 12

The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man wrote:
Swindon_mini - agreed, hardly a millionaires lifestyle, but £110k spent by his administration is a lot of money for little perceived benefit - what does the mayor and his office do exactly, beyond attending various 'jollies' and opening church fêtes?
I don't think that you will ever know what the Mayor does, until you are the Mayor or there is no longer a Mayor. Just like we really don't know if the office of the Mayor brings any money into the town. But what I do know, is that the town needs a commited representative, and £10,000 for Individiual + £100,000 for administration is small price at £0.50p per person per year for our town.

Report this post »

Davey Gravey says...
1:32pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Russell Holland wrote:
Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc.

If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor.

The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.
Its a ridiculous amount of money to have available considering the attacks on public services to save money. Not in it together are we? If someone cannot perform the duty without costing so much then somebody else who can should.

Report this post »

Russell Holland says...
1:41pm Mon 23 Jul 12

I think a sensible allowance for elected Councillors/Mayor is a good idea - otherwise it would restrict who could become CouncillorsMayor. It is better to enable a wider range of people to be able to participate.

Report this post »

swindon_mini says...
1:42pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Davey Gravey wrote:
Russell Holland wrote: Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc. If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor. The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.
Its a ridiculous amount of money to have available considering the attacks on public services to save money. Not in it together are we? If someone cannot perform the duty without costing so much then somebody else who can should.
The Mayors offices uses approx 1/4190th or 0.02% of the councils budget. That would be like refusing to spend £10 on a new Door number for your house to help people find it because you need a new kitchen or bathroom.

Report this post »

Davey Gravey says...
1:54pm Mon 23 Jul 12

swindon_mini wrote:
Davey Gravey wrote:
Russell Holland wrote: Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc. If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor. The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.
Its a ridiculous amount of money to have available considering the attacks on public services to save money. Not in it together are we? If someone cannot perform the duty without costing so much then somebody else who can should.
The Mayors offices uses approx 1/4190th or 0.02% of the councils budget. That would be like refusing to spend £10 on a new Door number for your house to help people find it because you need a new kitchen or bathroom.
The percentage is irrelivant. The total cost is.
That money could do alot of good. I'm pro having as mayor for Swindon but not at that cost.

Report this post »

Davey Gravey says...
2:00pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Davey Gravey wrote:
swindon_mini wrote:
Davey Gravey wrote:
Russell Holland wrote: Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc. If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor. The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.
Its a ridiculous amount of money to have available considering the attacks on public services to save money. Not in it together are we? If someone cannot perform the duty without costing so much then somebody else who can should.
The Mayors offices uses approx 1/4190th or 0.02% of the councils budget. That would be like refusing to spend £10 on a new Door number for your house to help people find it because you need a new kitchen or bathroom.
The percentage is irrelivant. The total cost is.
That money could do alot of good. I'm pro having as mayor for Swindon but not at that cost.
Bloody phone. The cost is relivant,and i'm pro having a mayor.

Report this post »

swindon_mini says...
2:05pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Davey Gravey wrote:
swindon_mini wrote:
Davey Gravey wrote:
Russell Holland wrote: Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc. If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor. The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.
Its a ridiculous amount of money to have available considering the attacks on public services to save money. Not in it together are we? If someone cannot perform the duty without costing so much then somebody else who can should.
The Mayors offices uses approx 1/4190th or 0.02% of the councils budget. That would be like refusing to spend £10 on a new Door number for your house to help people find it because you need a new kitchen or bathroom.
The percentage is irrelivant. The total cost is. That money could do alot of good. I'm pro having as mayor for Swindon but not at that cost.
I don't see why Percentage is irrelivant and total cost is? Percentage is always the best marker for expenditure, you don't need to read between the lines understand how much money you are taking about. Total cost is wasted on most people because they compaire it to their salary or the cost of their house and not the cost of running services.

In any event the chief exec of withshire costs twice that. We could get ride of him like Wiltshire Council, keep the Mayor and make a saving;)

Report this post »

swindon_mini says...
2:08pm Mon 23 Jul 12

swindon_mini wrote:
Davey Gravey wrote:
swindon_mini wrote:
Davey Gravey wrote:
Russell Holland wrote: Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc. If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor. The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.
Its a ridiculous amount of money to have available considering the attacks on public services to save money. Not in it together are we? If someone cannot perform the duty without costing so much then somebody else who can should.
The Mayors offices uses approx 1/4190th or 0.02% of the councils budget. That would be like refusing to spend £10 on a new Door number for your house to help people find it because you need a new kitchen or bathroom.
The percentage is irrelivant. The total cost is. That money could do alot of good. I'm pro having as mayor for Swindon but not at that cost.
I don't see why Percentage is irrelivant and total cost is? Percentage is always the best marker for expenditure, you don't need to read between the lines understand how much money you are taking about. Total cost is wasted on most people because they compaire it to their salary or the cost of their house and not the cost of running services. In any event the chief exec of withshire costs twice that. We could get ride of him like Wiltshire Council, keep the Mayor and make a saving;)
Same problem. lol That should be Swindon not withshire.

Report this post »

Davey Gravey says...
2:12pm Mon 23 Jul 12

swindon_mini wrote:
swindon_mini wrote:
Davey Gravey wrote:
swindon_mini wrote:
Davey Gravey wrote:
Russell Holland wrote: Just to clarify the Mayor is entitled to a special responsibility allowance of £10,000. So the £110,000 is all expenses including staff/car etc. If there were no car or staff for the Mayor and no allowance it would restrict who could be Mayor. The Mayor is a key part of civic life in Swindon and as the Queen's representative in the Borough the Office of Mayor is part of our history and tradition. Every Mayor does fundraising for charities, attends hundreds of events and takes their duties and role seriously.
Its a ridiculous amount of money to have available considering the attacks on public services to save money. Not in it together are we? If someone cannot perform the duty without costing so much then somebody else who can should.
The Mayors offices uses approx 1/4190th or 0.02% of the councils budget. That would be like refusing to spend £10 on a new Door number for your house to help people find it because you need a new kitchen or bathroom.
The percentage is irrelivant. The total cost is. That money could do alot of good. I'm pro having as mayor for Swindon but not at that cost.
I don't see why Percentage is irrelivant and total cost is? Percentage is always the best marker for expenditure, you don't need to read between the lines understand how much money you are taking about. Total cost is wasted on most people because they compaire it to their salary or the cost of their house and not the cost of running services. In any event the chief exec of withshire costs twice that. We could get ride of him like Wiltshire Council, keep the Mayor and make a saving;)
Same problem. lol That should be Swindon not withshire.
Well the council thought they had to save £20k a year by turning street lights off. Thankfully public pressure made them see sense in the end. They must have laid of grass cutting staff too as the verges are a disgrace in parts of the town. I'm sure workers earning small wages have been given the boot,yet a luxury like the mayor gets seems to be left untouched.

Report this post »

timt1964 says...
3:07pm Mon 23 Jul 12

why all the debate?! the position of mayor is totally unnecessary,if there wasnt one would anyone suffer? NO.the council seem to totally ignore the people who pay the council tax and spend,or should that be waste money on stupid projects that noone cares about.like that stupid water feature in town.

Report this post »

jerry59 says...
3:11pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Lets be honest, who cares whether we have a mayor or not. Most people are'nt interested and I'm sure most people in Swindon could'nt tell you what the currant mayor's name is and what his duties are. It's just not important and I expect he's made a few quid out of it. He looks like a big fat guy - typical mayor!

Report this post »

jerry59 says...
3:17pm Mon 23 Jul 12

swindon_mini wrote:
jamos01 wrote:
So here's hoping he actually BUILT Something usefull with that cash? I'de have expected him to earn that much money by fixing some of the mech's institute? For real tho'? 110k a year! JOKE!
The Mayor doesn't get anywhere near that amount. Even with all of his allowances he probably gets less that a single mum with 2 children! FACT! The Mayors of Swindon do this for the love of serving their community, maybe some because of the pomp and circumstance, but they certainly do not do it for the money!
If he gets near the money a single mum gets with 2 children, I would swap with him tomorrow. Why do you think they don't work? lol

Report this post »

A.Baron-Cohen says...
3:25pm Mon 23 Jul 12

I feel that the function / title of Mayor and the amount of taxpayer money it attracts is not good value for money.
In so many ways, it reminds me of the Lords.....obsolete and unaccountable....yet paid by the taxpayers.

Report this post »

Red_jools says...
4:34pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Yet again the Adver is dancing to the French residents tune, when will this journal stand up against this shadowy organisation which is just peddling spending attacks, why have they not attacked their members who have squirreled £13b in unpaid tax off-shore? and why hasn't the adver led on that story? bet they don't post it lol

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
7:00pm Mon 23 Jul 12

So just to break the numbers down for this.

The Mayor says he will attend an average 500 events this year, I presume that's at least 3 hours a piece, personally gets £10,000 I make that as an estimate:

£10,000 / 500 / 3 about £6.50 an hour, that does not seem he is in it for the money? You get more stacking shelves in a supermarket.

Also I note they generally raise a few tens of thousands of charity money it seems a cost effective way to operate.

The "problem" seems to be in the additional cost for all the peripheral support staff.

Report this post »

TRS85 says...
8:38pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Mick is always busy helping out his local community. In fact, his hectic diary is why he needs help and these meetings don't include all the other work he does.

Those judging him simply on a photo of him clearly don't know him. Meet the man before you judge him- he's the very model of a good mayor.

Report this post »

southside7 says...
9:24pm Mon 23 Jul 12

Hopefully the publicity of this debacle will put an end to this expensive, out of date and out of touch, fancy dress rigmarole.

Report this post »

Morsey says...
9:42pm Mon 23 Jul 12

I AM A SWINDONIAN BY BIRTH, MY PREDECESSORS THE SAME ... WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD A MAYOR OF THE BOROUGH IN MY TIME AT LEAST, SO WHY CHANGE IT NOW?

THE POSITION OF MAYOR GOES TO A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN A COUNCILLOR, ELECTED AND OFTEN RE-ELECTED OVER MANY CAMPAIGNS. IT IS A POSITION OF DIGNITY AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ONE SUPPORTS THE POLITICAL PARTY FROM WHICH THE MAYOR COMES, IT IS A ROLE THAT WE. SWINDONIANS HAVE COME TO EXPECT IN OUR TOWN, SO IF YOU ARE A LATECOMER YOU HAVE A NERVE ASKING FOR THE POST TO BE REMOVED ON COST EFFECTIVENESS!

Incidentally, the current Mayor has set a precedent for futue Mayors to vote for their own party ... Now, that IS SAD!

Report this post »

http://Www.Swindon.Org.UK says...
5:09am Tue 24 Jul 12

SBC trialled turning off street lights to save money.

Why not trial not having a Mayor for a year and save 5 times what turning off the lights would have saved.
Also not having a mayor wouldn't put people's lives at risk.
If it really does matter then people should complain like they did against the lights being turned off.

Who thinks Nick would go for it?
:-P

Report this post »

I 2 Could B says...
8:34am Tue 24 Jul 12

£110,000 does sound a lot of money... until you realise that includes 4 members of staff salaries plus the mayor's own allowance and expenses.

It's ironic that the Leftie types who clamour for the removal of the mayor's post would apparently be happy to see four 'ordinary, hard working people' (as they always like to say) also lose their jobs.

Hmm, up the workers, eh?

Some people do make me laugh. £110k is a pittance when you look at just how much of our money the council and government truly does waste via our failed welfare state system.

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
8:47am Tue 24 Jul 12

I was thinking exactly that, people who are asking for the removal of the office are basically calling for:

A: 5 People to lose their jobs.
B: The loss of the donations to charity the mayoral office generates.
C: Swindon to not have any representative for formal functions.

To save one thousandth of the Swindon annual budget.

Report this post »

The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man says...
9:35am Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
I was thinking exactly that, people who are asking for the removal of the office are basically calling for:

A: 5 People to lose their jobs.
B: The loss of the donations to charity the mayoral office generates.
C: Swindon to not have any representative for formal functions.

To save one thousandth of the Swindon annual budget.
A: If the 5 people are not performing a function that generates revenue, investment or provides useful services for the town, then absolutely, their jobs should go as they are redundant, like many others that I as a tax payer am also paying for. The ethos of public services should always be to do more with less, (rather than less with more as is currently the case!)
B: Hyperbole - there is absolutely no evidence that removal of the mayors position would result in an overall loss of donations to charity.
C: And? - unless proof is provided that these functions provide value for money in investment terms, get rid of the 'formal functions' as well while you're at it and that would save even more money.

If the mayor's office truly performs a vital function, it should be possible to measure the social and economic benefits it brings. Without measuring it, we simply have no idea if it's worth having a mayor or not.

Report this post »

The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man says...
9:37am Tue 24 Jul 12

I 2 Could B wrote:
£110,000 does sound a lot of money... until you realise that includes 4 members of staff salaries plus the mayor's own allowance and expenses.

It's ironic that the Leftie types who clamour for the removal of the mayor's post would apparently be happy to see four 'ordinary, hard working people' (as they always like to say) also lose their jobs.

Hmm, up the workers, eh?

Some people do make me laugh. £110k is a pittance when you look at just how much of our money the council and government truly does waste via our failed welfare state system.
Agreed, 110k is a pittance - but from small acorns, large oak trees grow....

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
10:03am Tue 24 Jul 12

The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man.

A: Neither of us can prove the Mayor is a net loss or gain, its purely speculation on both our parts, I would not want 5 peoples jobs to be lost on a dice roll, can you prove they don't generate income?

B: Not sure about the hyperbole, I think it's entirely self evident that if the position of Mayor does not exist you cannot donate to it? Will the charities receive the same level of funds through over avenues, maybe? maybe not.

C: Our society is filled with formal functions that cost us but gives us a sense of cultural identity the Mayoral office is one of them and I think the world is a less bland place for it. You are more than welcome to take 50p a year from me to keep it going.

Report this post »

I Too says...
10:22am Tue 24 Jul 12

I find it most disturbing that people could be so blinkered by their allegiance to a political party as to deny a huge waste of tax payers money.

Seems that also includes non wifi, water fountains, pointless road disruptions, £multi million paving slabs, water fountains, and overpriced councillors

http://www.swindonad
vertiser.co.uk/news/
9811281.Young_high_f
lyer_to_take_on_Toml
inson_in_North_Swind
on/

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
10:25am Tue 24 Jul 12

Hmmm, I guess that every town in the UK that has a Mayor is also blinkered?

Or perhaps you are just in the minority and frustrated about it?

Report this post »

Hammer5 says...
10:28am Tue 24 Jul 12

This town Doesnt need a mayor full stop!!!
This town in places is so run down its unreal so lets spend the money on the people of this town so we all benefit not just the select few.
As for the councillors they are only in it for themselves and the extra perks,what do they really do apart from sit in there meetings thinking of there own importance!!!

Report this post »

The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man says...
10:31am Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver, I don't need to prove it, I'm not trying to justify my job. Your statement suggests you're fine with the thought that we have numerous jobs in the public sector where we don't really know what they do, or what value they bring to our economy, but we'll pay for them anyway - madness, no wonder we're broke!

Also, it's not 50p though is it - more hyperbole. It's 50p for every person in the town - less than 100% of the populace are tax payers (children for example). There's even a good percentage of adults of working age that are not tax payers. That rather bumps up the figure for everyone else that does actually pay tax...

If people can't "donate to the mayor", they will donate somewhere else - it's quite tax efficient to do so!

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
10:35am Tue 24 Jul 12

Hammer,

The largest cost to the taxpayer in Swindon is the Adultt Social Care bill, currently standing at approx 37.7 Million or 3777 mayoral offices.

Which select few are benefiting in that scenario?

If you want to make savings I would start in some other area than the Mayor.

Report this post »

Hammer5 says...
10:42am Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
Hammer,

The largest cost to the taxpayer in Swindon is the Adultt Social Care bill, currently standing at approx 37.7 Million or 3777 mayoral offices.

Which select few are benefiting in that scenario?

If you want to make savings I would start in some other area than the Mayor.
No lets start with the mayor because thats people stealing tax payers money!!!
We maybe should start with mortgage tax allowance or stopping child benefit because if you want kids pay for them yourselves and stop scrounging off persons like me

Report this post »

I Too says...
11:01am Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
Hmmm, I guess that every town in the UK that has a Mayor is also blinkered?

Or perhaps you are just in the minority and frustrated about it?
Evading the points with a condescending snear as usual.

It's a good job your election campaign failed

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
11:04am Tue 24 Jul 12

I Too,

I know you are eager to please your masters but really, grown ups are trying to talk about important issues, do you really have to spread across every forum?

Back on track....

Report this post »

I Too says...
11:48am Tue 24 Jul 12

I don't have masters and, unlike yourself, have no intention of representing any political party.

So your pointless smoke screen to avoid the points with sneering comments is not grown up at all.

I was not aware that there was a limit on the forums people can post on.

Do tell us more.
Whilst your at it, explain why something is not a waste just because your party initiate it

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
11:54am Tue 24 Jul 12

The Conservative party initiated the position of Mayor?

I would refer you back to the Municipal Corporations Act 1882.

I Too, you come across as very desperate to attack people on a personal level but put much less effort in to the actual conversation and debate, perhaps responses would be less "condescending" if you spoke on the topic at hand rather than attacking people on a personal level?

Read above for examples of people disagreeing but not disrespecting each other.

Report this post »

I Too says...
12:26pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Trying to twist the point as usual in order to avoid answering polite questioning.

Still adding the usual dosage of sneer and fabricating a smoke screen.

I am not desperate at all.
Unlike yourself I have no (failed) political aspirations.

I don't have masters and, unlike yourself, have no intention of representing any political party.

So your pointless smoke screen to avoid the points with sneering comments is not grown up at all.

I fail to see how various wastes of tax payers money are supported by certain individuals just because their chosen political group are the ones absorbing the funds

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
12:32pm Tue 24 Jul 12

I Too, you seem to keep wanting to move the goalposts of your questions but I am happy to play along although it is messing up the conversation for people who want to undertake a sensible debate, so to be clear, you are saying

"certain individuals are supporting the mayor because the political group is absorbing the funds"?

I Too, you are aware that the position of Mayor is rotated between Labour and Conservatives upon the seat being assigned? Please take off the tinfoil hat, it will help you read the screen more clearly.

Report this post »

I Too says...
1:15pm Tue 24 Jul 12

"I Too, you are aware that the position of Mayor is rotated between Labour and Conservatives upon the seat being assigned? Please take off the tinfoil hat, it will help you read the screen more clearly."

Reading it all very clearly thanks, mr "wanna be councillor smartypants"

If it were not a conservative mayor you would be chanting a different tune.

As of wifi, poor road planning, wasteful vanity projects etc.

Report this post »

house on the hill says...
1:54pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Here is a novel idea. Everyone bleats on about how we live in a democratic society so lets have a vote on whether we want a Mayor or not!

All I would say is that compared to the waste and inefficiency in this council and the non job managers who cost a fortune for no real benefit, £110k is a drop in the ocean.

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
3:18pm Tue 24 Jul 12

I Too, clearly this going very well for you, only one personal insult and a half point on the actual subject, immersing yourself amongst people having a normal conversation is very beneficial.

House on the hill, I would welcome a definitive vote on this however the expected cost would be in the region of at least £90,000 - £150,000 to perform a borough wide vote, maybe the better solution would be to "roll up" constitutional questions like these into an additional review during elections so the costs are minimized.

However results through other areas such as Bristol indicates the result is likely to come very much in favour of keeping a Mayor.

Report this post »

I Too says...
3:41pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Usual sneery, creepy, sidestepping nonsese Ollie.

Try answering people's posts without being so abusive.

Perhaps that's why you failed to get elected

Report this post »

Always Grumpy says...
4:51pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
I Too,

I know you are eager to please your masters but really, grown ups are trying to talk about important issues, do you really have to spread across every forum?

Back on track....
Donachie - what an arrogant and pompous little man you are.

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
5:54pm Tue 24 Jul 12

I too, Grumpy.

It must be very rewarding to call people names whilst hiding behind a pseudonym, how very brave of you.

I cannot begin to imagine what passed for manners in your household.

But please do carry on, I am sure people are utterly convinced of the points you had made now you have managed to call names from the shadows.

*slow clap*

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
6:48pm Tue 24 Jul 12

*slow clap*

Report this post »

Always Grumpy says...
6:50pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
*slow clap*
Nothing better to say?

You're not very bright, are you?

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
6:57pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Any more random abuse to add? It really is shining you in a very good light, please continue.

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
7:05pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Please do continue, let it all out, then perhaps you wont be Always Grumpy?

I do understand that when people have failed to win an argument they often turn to abuse in frustration, dont worry, we all understand.

Keep it coming :)

Report this post »

Always Grumpy says...
7:07pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
Please do continue, let it all out, then perhaps you wont be Always Grumpy?

I do understand that when people have failed to win an argument they often turn to abuse in frustration, dont worry, we all understand.

Keep it coming :)
Funny, I've not lost any arguments.
You on the other hand seem to have been firmly trounced on this site by almost everyone responding to you.
I'll leave you to wallow in your own self pity.

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
7:21pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Let it all now Grumpy? You are a very angry person arent you? 5 more minutes on the time out step and you can come back in to the conversation like a big boy.

Report this post »

Always Grumpy says...
8:05pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
Let it all now Grumpy? You are a very angry person arent you? 5 more minutes on the time out step and you can come back in to the conversation like a big boy.
Grow up will you.
You've completely lost the argument on this thread and you know it.
It's clear you do not like anyone who disagrees with you and you resorted to abuse towards them.
I'm not angry at all, just sad that losers such as yourself seem to think they are the only ones who have an opinion that matters. As other posters have shown, that's not the case and they have treated you with the contempt you deserve.
Get over it, put your toys back in the pram and move on.
I'll not engage in any more banter with you - you're not worth the effort. I have better things to do - you appear not to.

Report this post »

I Too says...
8:22pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Oliver_Donachie wrote:
Please do continue, let it all out, then perhaps you wont be Always Grumpy?

I do understand that when people have failed to win an argument they often turn to abuse in frustration, dont worry, we all understand.

Keep it coming :)
So now, besides aspiring to be a politician, you want to lay claim to "champion arguer"

How very sad

As mentioned previously it matters not to anyone else, as we do not post on these threads as a cheap political platform.

You have gained nothing from your pompous abuse and sidestepping of others comments

Desperate Ollie

Report this post »

Meldrews Dad says...
8:50pm Tue 24 Jul 12

There is no value in a ceremonial mayor. The position should have been scrapped decades ago. Save the £110k immediately, scrap the mayors secretary, scrap the chauffeur, scrap the catering and booze.

We could always be really inovative and elect a mayor - perhaps that might curb Cllr Bluh thinking up more strangeschemes for the town.

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
9:34pm Tue 24 Jul 12

Grumpy, I Too, are you available for Birthdays and Weddings? Its like the Cannon And Ball show all over again...you dont know if you should laugh or feel sorry for the old guys trying to keep up.

Thanks for the considered responses around the issue of Mayor I think you have given people plenty to think about.

Report this post »

I Too says...
11:08pm Tue 24 Jul 12

"Grumpy, I Too, are you available for Birthdays and Weddings? Its like the Cannon And Ball show all over again...you dont know if you should laugh or feel sorry for the old guys trying to keep up."

It's very easy to keep up with your political career because it's going nowhere

Report this post »

itsamess3 says...
8:14pm Wed 25 Jul 12

I.2/ Oliver was exposed some time ago on Talkswindon. It does not mean that he should do thev reverse the process of another well known poster and claim by posting in their real names make them right.
The Mayors role is an important role and does give some benefit to Swindon and many councillors over the years who filled that role have been a credit to Swindon--others have not--whatever--we have a mayor and we should support and encourage what the mayor can do for Swindon and not enter into petty arguments as to what the Mayor costs--its the prestige it brings to what has become a very shabby and lifeless town.

Report this post »

Oliver_Donachie says...
10:00pm Wed 25 Jul 12

I am not sure I was exposed? My very first post was to explain who I was, I left when the "Nazi" incident kicked off.

I do not in any way think using your actual name makes you any better or right on a matter, but I do think its shows up the cowards (not yourself) who do nothing but hurl abuse from what they seem to think is an anonymous position. Nice to see the Adver implements a sharp moderation policy.

I 100% support the position of the Mayor, I notice his good works with regards to the food bank only today. As a tax payer I do think his peripheral costs could be reviewed in these tight times, but its clear the man himself only gets £10,000 for his daily work, I understand he also works fully virtually every weekend.

So that's it, I support him and I am happy to put my name on it :)

Report this post »

I Too says...
8:33am Thu 26 Jul 12

Wow!
You actually believe you've achieved something :-)

Report this post »

abbotboy says...
8:55pm Sat 28 Jul 12

go to the steps of the town hall and look at the 'garden' in front of the steps, just weeds and weeds and a few flowers, perhaps the mayor and his 4 sidekicks could do a bit of gardening and clear that lot up and those who do visit the town wont think its a dump.....

Report this post »

abbotboy says...
8:58pm Sat 28 Jul 12

go to the steps of the town hall and look at the 'garden' in front of the steps, just weeds and weeds and a few flowers, perhaps the mayor and his 4 sidkicks could do some gardening and clean it up and then when people visit the town they wont think its a dump..

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree