I WOULD like to respond to the letter from D Foster (Daily Echo October 2) regarding councillors’ expenses.

In point of fact there are very few expenses available to councillors and virtually all of those relate to travel on official council business for which prior approval should be given.

It may be that D Foster is referring to councillors’ allowances when he states that he would like to “start closer to home by reducing councillors’ expenses” and asking what excuses there would be against that suggestion. Far from providing excuses, Bournemouth councillors have done quite the contrary and ignored the recommendations from the independent panel set up to look at the level of allowances. This body reports annually to the council and has recommended increases each year, none of which have been taken up since 2010.

As Bournemouth councillors we recognised over five years ago that we needed to set an example and so Bournemouth’s leader and cabinet members chose to take a voluntary five per cent cut in their special responsibility allowances in July 2010.

The cut remains in place to this day and I believe it is unique across the UK.

This policy led to all other special responsibility allowances for councillors being frozen at the rate set in April 2010 and they have remained frozen since then.

This has been confirmed by council annually as part of the budget process and it is disappointing that D Foster does not appear to be aware of this.

At a time when public sector pay has been frozen by the government at one per cent for the next four years it has seemed appropriate for councillors to refuse to take the proposed increases in each of the past five years.

I am not sure whether the government are aware of what we have done, but it strikes me that it is a clear statement by those who have chosen to stand for public office that we are doing the right thing by our residents, given that it is a choice we are able to make.

CLLR JOHN BEESLEY

Leader of Bournemouth council