The serious issue behind this scandal

News that Peterborough city councillors voted in favour of an increase of 27% in their allowances has done more than raise a few eyebrows. Talk to residents and you’ll hear gasps of disbelief, sighs of disappointment and groans from council taxpayers who feel that our elected representatives are out of touch with public feeling.

2016 hasn’t been a great year for the taxpayers of Peterborough. At the beginning of summer, the effects of the city council’s decision to reduce the number of grass cuts led to public outrage, as recreational areas that should be enjoyed by everyone were transformed into eyesores hiding litter and hazards like broken glass. Other problems that have blighted Peterborough this year have included the unacceptable level of homelessness and rough sleeping, the scourge of fly-tipping, residents kept awake by late night ‘drifters’ on our public highways and litter strewn everywhere. According to figures published by Peterborough Foodbank, 4,247 residents in crisis received 3-day emergency food supplies in 2015. With so much distress all around us the timing, not to mention the size, of the increase in city councillors’ allowances could hardly have been worse.

While we understand that the size of the increase was recommended by an independent panel, city councilors were at liberty to reject it or to vote on how large the rise would be. The level they agreed is the whole 27% that was recommended to them. This equates to £186,000. When was the last time you received a 27% pay rise? Exactly. Many city councillors work incredibly hard on behalf of residents, some working above and beyond what is required of them. However, at a time when many local people are experiencing serious hardship, and as city council services are subject to unprecedented budget limitations, shouldn’t our city councillors have demonstrated that we are indeed ‘in this together’? Shouldn’t they have turned the increase down?

How could things be different if the city elected a Green Party councillor? We would recommend that councillors’ allowances be set at the Living Wage Foundation’s minimum recommendation of £8.25 per hour. If a typical City Councillor works 20 hours a week, it would mean their allowance would rise to £8,580, which is an increase of just 7% (rather than the 27% that your city councillors voted for). We would also require the council to be a registered Living Wage Employer before we set a remuneration level for councillors (who, we must remember, are elected representatives, not employees).

A serious issue lies below this scandal. Everybody has to stop taking more than we need, both from the environment we live in and (for those involved in government) from the pockets of the people we serve. While individual councillors may feel the rise in their allowances is modest and overdue, the overall impact is huge. It didn’t have to be.