Council is looking to cut councillor numbers by third
CALLS are growing for hundreds of councillors across Greater Manchester to be axed in a bid to save cash, with Rochdale leaders considering slashing a third.
The number of elected members in the town could soon be slashed by 20 - and there is growing pressure for the same to happen elsewhere across the region.
Council bosses in the town are considering cutting the number of elected members from 60 to 40, with two councillors per ward instead of three.
There have been calls at town halls across the region for a reduction in the number of councillors for a number of years.
Those who support the change highlight that thousands of officers have been axed following swingeing budget cuts across Greater Manchester, but the number of councillors has remained the same.
The idea has been batted around by opposition parties in Rochdale for years - and Labour council leader Richard Farnell has now said he is exploring ways to reduce numbers in the chamber.
He told the M.E.N. he is speaking to the Electoral Commission about a potential reduction. An all-party working group has been set up to explore options. The move, if it eventually goes ahead, would most likely coincide with a review of ward boundaries.
Cutting the number of councillors by a third would save more than £200,000 a year based on current basic allowances, which stand at £10,451 per member after a 34 per cent hike was agreed in December.
If the move is agreed, elections could take place every two years following an ‘all out’ election, where every councillor’s seat would be up for grabs.
The town’s Lib Dem leader Andy Kelly, who has called for the number of councillors to be slashed for a number of years, said members’ workload could increase, with two representatives for each ward dealing with residents’ issues instead of three.
But he said committees could easily cope with fewer councillors and members would not have to attend more meetings. Coun Kelly added: “I look forward to hearing what Labour is discussing with the Electoral Commission.” Rochdale’s Tory chief Coun Ashley Dearnley said: “We definitely need to look at reducing the number of councillors to reduce the spend. “There’s a real opportunity to do this elsewhere in Greater Manchester.” Every Greater Manchester council has three members per ward. Oldham council considered axing a third of its 60 councillors in 2011, but the move was never signed off. But insiders say Labour leaders - who control eight Greater Manchester councils and lead Stockport council, which remains in no-overallcontrol - are unlikely to risk their majorities by agreeing to reductions due to the potential for ‘all out’ elections. Coun Ashley Dearnley