Your Echo
TEXT PHOTOS, VIDEOS + NEWS TO 80360, TYPE BE, THEN LEAVE A SPACE BEFORE YOUR MESSAGE OR E-MAIL »
‘Snouts in the trough’ claim over pay rises for councillors
7:38pm Wednesday 23rd July 2008
Comments (35)DAYS after local government staff went on strike over a 2.45 per cent pay rise, Poole councillors have voted for pay rises of up to 67 per cent.
Cabinet members will see their allowances rise from £8,566 to £10,707 - on top of a basic allowance of £8,980.
In a bid to keep within the £571,470 budget this year, Conservative cabinet members volunteered to forego their rise until next April, while the other increases will be implemented from September.
Conservative group leader Cllr Ann Stribley told the council: "This is a significant sacrifice and contribution in order to keep within budget."
She stressed the increases, which include 67 per cent for overview and scrutiny chairmen from £2,570 to £4,283, were the recommendations of an independent panel and the council had agreed them in principle in May. Members' allowances have already received an inflationary adjustment of 2.9 per cent.
The allowance for the chairman of planning will rise 100 per cent for future holders of the role. This year's chairman does not claim that allowance as she is already deputy leader of the council, drawing £21,829.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Tony Trent said the council should be setting an example. "I think we should have an increase in line with what we give our staff," he said.
Three Conservatives abstained from the vote, including Cllr Carole Deas, who said: "I think this is a very inappropriate time to have this increase."
But Cllr Chris Bulteel said: "My workload has increased to such an extent I have had to cut my hours of employment to be able to cope with the workload of the health and social care overview and scrutiny committee."
Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Mike Brooke proposed an amendment that they should retain the current scheme with its 2.9 per cent inflationary rise for three years or the life of the council.
"That's about what many other people are having. This is totally self congratulatory. It's snouts in the trough," he said.
The amendment was lost on the vote and the motion with the rise from September, with portfolio holders delayed until April, was voted through.
The situation mirrors that of Bournemouth last February when cabinet members voted to increase their allowances by up to 36 per cent.
The decision meant the basic sum paid to every single councillor rose by 17.3 per cent to £9,020, while cabinet members benefited from a rise of almost 32 per cent to £20,295. Council leader Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin and deputy Cllr John Beesley saw their allowances rise by 34 and 36 per cent respectively.
- The new rates in Poole are: Council leader - £30,395 Deputy leader - £21,829 Portfolio holders, eight - £19,687 Chairmen of six overview and scrutiny committees - £13,263.
Your Say YourBournemouth Echo
fedupwithjobsworths, Moordown says...
7:53pm Wed 23 Jul 08
counciljoke, christchurch says...
7:55pm Wed 23 Jul 08
Quakers, Poole says...
9:18pm Wed 23 Jul 08
mccherry, dorset says...
9:23pm Wed 23 Jul 08
Gordon, Poole says...
9:39pm Wed 23 Jul 08
I challenge the councillors to put this increase in their manifestos if they believe its justified I know one voter will vote against & am sure others will join me
Pay for the councillors can only come from cuts in services or massive tax hikes
paul, poole says...
10:09pm Wed 23 Jul 08
derek, dorset says...
10:23pm Wed 23 Jul 08
and for others it is a drop in services and an increase in tax
mike, poole says...
10:47pm Wed 23 Jul 08
cheesedof, wimborne says...
10:49pm Wed 23 Jul 08
muffin the mule, wallisdown says...
8:06am Thu 24 Jul 08
boblister, Wedgwood Drive, Poole says...
8:58am Thu 24 Jul 08
I believe they should get paid a proper salary, with no full time job involvement, BUT... there are too many Councillors! To justify any increase, the numbers should be reduced by a third, until this time, cost of living increases, etc should be in line with true inflation 8%!
hoppity, hamworthy says...
8:59am Thu 24 Jul 08
Hugh wrote:HUGH :we covet nothing, it also says in the bible i believe, loosley translated,treat others as you wish to be treated,. So in my opinion, and it is only my opinion, we should all be equal and not one rule for us and another for the "bosses" or in this case our elected representatives
It is nice to have some facts and figures. Considering that these are the top pay levels for our elected representatives , they do not seem very high. I would prefer it if they were paid well to insure we get the best people, and the councillors know that there are high quality people ready to take over if they are not motivated and doing a good job. The same applies to our MPs. The real problem lies with our permanent administrative staff - the town hall staff, and the civil service. The Chief Executives of the town halls seem to be vying to see who will be the first to get a million pounds per annum. Who is it that decides their pay, and pensions? Considering that they are not exposed to market forces, and are dependent on the tax payer, they seem to get far too much. They demand and take far too much tax from us. Exodus 20 17 You shall not covet your neighbours house; you shall not covet your neighbours wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour. That includes my money, coveted and taken by the town hall and civil service.
laurie marsh, australia says...
11:02am Thu 24 Jul 08
Things are going "pear shaped" and these low lifes vote themselves a huge pay rise!
It is a pity that people have such short memories, as most of them will vote the "party line" at the next election!
That is why these creeps (that includes the "abstainers"), get away with this sort of thing!
michael carpenter, BOSCOMBE says...
11:13am Thu 24 Jul 08
BORNEMOUTHS COUNCILS TURN NEXT?
Green & Gold, Bourenmouth says...
11:50am Thu 24 Jul 08
ALL SEEING EYE, WESSEX says...
12:59pm Thu 24 Jul 08
It is time for change and I would have thought the time is right to vote against all the familiar names and get some fresh faces in.
Too much collusion with Brothers and Sisters of fraternal societies for the good of the Poole Residents.
As the Lib-Dems voted against the increase, will they now forgo that increase or was it empty vessels from the Lib-Dems again? They could always show a benevolent side and give the increase to a Poole charity.
Nice if we were to hear a reply from a Lib-Dem but of course its not election time.
Hugh, Bournemouth says...
1:24pm Thu 24 Jul 08
The same applies to our MPs.
The real problem lies with our permanent administrative staff - the town hall staff, and the civil service. The Chief Executives of the town halls seem to be vying to see who will be the first to get a million pounds per annum. Who is it that decides their pay, and pensions? Considering that they are not exposed to market forces, and are dependent on the tax payer, they seem to get far too much.
They demand and take far too much tax from us.
One of the ten commandments of the Christian faith states that people should not want others people possessions.
That includes my money, wanted and taken by the town hall and civil service.
Rogman, Boscombe East says...
1:31pm Thu 24 Jul 08
counciljoke wrote:Indeed it is!
the only reason these kind of people become councillors is nothing to do with improving their town or the welfare of its residents,its all about greed and power.the ability to decide on other peoples business and to feather their own nests with ridiculous pay rises!
rob of poole, poole says...
1:53pm Thu 24 Jul 08
Quakers, Poole says...
5:00pm Thu 24 Jul 08
Hugh, Bournemouth says...
5:41pm Thu 24 Jul 08
Democratically Elected Representatives
Council leader - £30,395.
Deputy leader - £21,829.
Cabinet members - £20,295.
Portfolio holders - £19,687.
Chairmen of six overview and scrutiny committees - £13,263.
basic sum paid to councillors - £9,020.
Town Hall Administrative Clerical Office Staff
Chief Executives - over £100,000
Strategic directors - over £90,000k
It is nice to have some facts and figures. Considering that these are the top pay levels for our elected representatives, they do not seem very high. I would prefer it if they were paid well to insure we get the best people. Then the councillors would know that there are high quality people ready to take over if they are not motivated and doing a good job.
The same applies to our MPs.
Lewcee2, Park Gates East says...
6:29pm Thu 24 Jul 08
Charlie, says...
6:35pm Thu 24 Jul 08
Just shows the contempt with whch they hold council tax payers and the "ordinary" council employees.
hoppity, hamworthy says...
7:15pm Thu 24 Jul 08
y Elected Representatives
Council leader - £30,395.
Deputy leader - £21,829.
Cabinet members - £20,295.
Portfolio holders - £19,687.
Chairmen of six overview and scrutiny committees - £13,263.
basic sum paid to councillors - £9,020.
Town Hall Administrative Clerical Office Staff
Chief Executives - over £100,000
Strategic directors - over £90,000k
what about the lowly office staff and TA and the dustmen and all thoses in public service. Also the councillors and higher up staff get expenses, lunches etc, I still feel you cannot take a large pay rise and expect other workers to accept a lot less and yes whatever party gets in they will all be the same, greed goes across all parties
Cllr David Brown, Merley & Bearwood, Poole says...
5:24am Fri 25 Jul 08
Along with my Lib Dem colleagues, I agree that these increases are completely inappropriate in the current climate and Im happy with my 2.9% inflationary increase on my £9k basic allowance.
I would just like to add a bit of balance to the debate. In answer to the sweeping generalisations about us all being greedy, money-grabbing leeches trying to supplement our pensions, some people may think that is fair comment about some politicians but please dont tar us all with the same brush.
To get elected last year, I decided to end my well paid career to be able to dedicate sufficient time to being a councillor and to being able to work for the local community and increase the time I spend working unpaid with local voluntary projects which I see as an important part of being a community activist. Rather than a good salary plus benefits, share options, etc which I was used to, I have now adjusted my lifestyle to be able to live on the councillors allowance of £9k plus about £5k I get from freelance work less than half what I was used to.
Im not moaning, I knew what to expect and Im happy with this and have planned my life accordingly. To be honest, I enjoy being a councillor and Im happy with my decision to seek satisfaction from what I do each day and forego the financial reward of my previous career. Like a lot of my colleagues, if we were interested in financial reward we could earn a lot more doing other things, but that is not what we want from life. There is more to life than money and I would recommend becoming a councillor if you want a chance to make a difference in your local area.
A reasonable basic allowance is necessary to be able to attract younger people like myself and several of my colleagues to become councillors, otherwise you would only ever have those already getting pensions, running their own businesses or those with independent means which would not be representative of the community.
In reply to ALL SEEING EYEs question about will the Lib Dems forego the increases, these increases were for Committee Chairs and Cabinet Members, all now Conservative held positions, so there are no increases for the Lib Dems to forego!
Im not surprised by a lot of these comments and get used to this perception of politicians, but hope that a bit of balance and a request to avoid sweeping generalisations might not go amiss.
rob of poole, poole says...
7:12am Fri 25 Jul 08
John, Poole says...
10:27am Fri 25 Jul 08
Thank you for your enlightened view of your work as a Councillor and for your local community.
I trust that the 5.24a.m. timing of your posting is not indicative of a normal day's work for you, as I fear you will not be able to keep up such unstinting work.
There is only one Margaret Thatcher...Thank God!
John, Poole says...
10:27am Fri 25 Jul 08
Thank you for your enlightened view of your work as a Councillor and for your local community.
I trust that the 5.24a.m. timing of your posting is not indicative of a normal day's work for you, as I fear you will not be able to keep up such unstinting work.
There is only one Margaret Thatcher...Thank God!
Cllr David Brown, Bearwood, Poole says...
7:07pm Fri 25 Jul 08
Dont worry, I'm not another Margaret Thatcher! But I find the early hours of the morning always offer the quietest time for clarity of thought and competent writing!! Until the sun rises and the birds start to disturb me!!
Invisible1955, Poole says...
10:09pm Fri 25 Jul 08
With council workers feeling the need to take strike action, now would have been a wonderful opportunity to exercise restraint and demonstrate a bit of leadership, but no.
The whole sytem of government in this country is thoroughly rotten!
sean, poole says...
7:57pm Sat 26 Jul 08
WE ALL HAVE THREE YEARS BEFORE WE CAN VOTE LOCALLY AGAIN I HOPE THIS WILL BE STUCK IN PEOPLES MEMORIES WHEN THE TIME COMES AS IT WIL MINEER CLLR STRIBLEYS GROUP SHOULD BE EMBARASSED BY THIS AND SHE SHOULD RESIGN FOR THIS REASON AS WELL.
hoppity, hamworthy says...
10:10pm Sat 26 Jul 08
rob of poole wrote:yes maybe they do only get £9k but some also have a job and expenses ,my point originally was you cannot expect people to accept a pay rise less than inflation and then vote yourself a very large one. I would agree that not ALL concillors are greedy and money grabbing but unfortunately the ones I know are. I would apply for the job myself but I feel i am too honest.
Dear Hoppity, How many of the lowly paid office staff and dustmen only earn £9k? Or do they have their "snouts in trough" already? Get a sense of perspective - councillors get slagged off and criticised by the media (sometimes fairly sometimes not), phoned up all hours of the day, constantly "called to account" etc etc. They're a far more visible target than the strategic directors who earn 5-6 times more than them. The government continues to pour on them additional work and the the media constantly "have a go" and expect decisions to look perfect with the benefit of hindsight - frankly I don't envy them. Even Leverett's pay is only a decent graduate's starting salary. At the end of the day anyone of us can choose to join them. Feel free old boy.
Slightly right of Attilla The, poole says...
1:43pm Mon 28 Jul 08
The General, Poole says...
2:18pm Tue 29 Jul 08
My letter of resignation will be submitted in due course.
The dirty bas****s
In this section
- BOURNEMOUTH AND POOLE COLLEGE IN CASH CRISIS
- Beth joins the cast of Hollyoaks
- Grogan and Calderwood guilty of plotting terrifying armed robbery on Academy Snooker Club
- Boscombe Arts Centre campaigners throw down the gauntlet
- Plane crashed at Bournemouth Airport after instructor's mistake
- Green shoots of recovery for McCarthy and Stone in Ferndown
- Much-maligned Purbeck online cookware store 'overwhelmed' by orders
- School alert as pair have swine flu virus
- Dorset traffic light speed camera list is fake
- Deal at Christchurch Woolies 'imminent'
Sponsored Links
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
hoppity, hamworthy says...
7:42pm Wed 23 Jul 08