A ‘selfish’ rise for councillors
WITH inflation rising to 3% and the State old Age Pension by 2.9% one wonders on what planet our elected representatives on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council belong with their inflation busting 20 % allowance increase.
Perhaps it was hoped that the increase would go unnoticed but thanks to the Hinckley Times headline their guise to treat their electorate as fools has failed.
Having been a Lay Person on the Borough’s Standards Committee for seven years, five of which as its Independent Chairman, I appreciate the work input of many Councillors.
However to put one’s self forward to serve the community as a Councillor there has to be a thin dividing line between genuine interest in serving and that of being well paid for that service. I use the word paid as very few pensioners or their constituents working in minimum paid jobs would consider a minimum of £92.30 a week (Annual Councillor Allowance minimum £4,800 plus expenses) to be anything other than payment, and certainly not an allowance to subsidise their other incomes.
The State Old Age Pension at £159.55 is not much greater than that.
For some years Local Government employees have been refused pay rises in excess of a maximum of approximately 2%. the reason being that increases over this norm are unaffordable.
How therefore have our councillors decided that they have sufficient cash to increase their allowance by 30% over the next two years.
Incidentally, who are these suits who sit on the Remuneration Panel? I doubt if any of the Council’s Recycling Team, out in all weathers emptying our bins, are members!
With such a small majority in favour of this selfish increase in their allowances (15 to 9) I find inconceivable that the Labour Party, having only one single elected councillor, that he should abstain on such a critical vote.
If the Labour Party is to make a revival locally it is hardly encouraging to find that their only representative could not make up his mind whether to support or oppose the Conservative Leadership. Perhaps the Council’s Unison’s representative and its members could assist him.