IT IS easy to imagine the astonishment of the voters of Dorset when faced with the hypocrisy of Dorset County Council which – whilst carrying out savage spending cuts to vital services such as youth centres, bus services, libraries and (more recently) register offices – have nevertheless found the cash to increase the salary of its 15 senior officers by as much as £17,000.

The pay band for a head of service at Dorset County Council, for example, will rise from £63,348-£79,714 to £80,500-£91,000.

To add insult to injury, DCC workers on lower grades will have their pay rises restricted to a mere 1 per cent.

It is accepted that the cuts in spending are partly dictated by the continued massive cuts to the government grant given to local authorities (although “austerity” seems to taking a back seat in government thinking since the referendum!).

However, the judgements about which services and which budgets to cut are down to each local authority – and an authority which cuts essential spending, whilst increasing the salaries of an exclusive few, can accept a harsh verdict from the voters whom it supposedly exists to serve.

HUGO MIEVILLE

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, North Dorset

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