I WAS struck by a news item in the Echo on April 24 on the matter of Christchurch councillors getting a small pay rise taking their allowance up to £4,154.

Taking then into account a letter in the Echo a couple of days before, pointing out that Poole councillors’ allowances are £9,000, adding up in total to over £500,000, why then do Poole councillors need twice as much allowances to do the same work as Christchurch councillors?

I think it is scandalous. And all the more so when you take note that Poole has allocated “£40,000” for a new limousine for the mayor.

Service after service is being run down in Poole, many roads now unpassable with monster potholes, yet this council refuses to row back on high end expenses for their councillors.

And to be noted on the matter of mayor’s new limousine, it is the Head of Legal Services (Echo March 10) that defends the whole business. The mayor just has to have a new limo, the old one is “ten years old” and capital this officer tells us is “allocated”.

So here we have it. A senior council officer, all part of council highly generous final salary pensions, with a one year lump sum pay-off at retirement, defending the mayor’s new limo.

One large gravy-train benefitting councillors, and senior officers, whilst around them the borough crumbles. So for my money I say roll on absorption of Poole into Greater Bournemouth and the sooner the better.

With then one councillor per ward and end of the mayor pantomime. That I think is our only hope of serious reform and improvements.

JUSTIN WALSH

Bournemouth Road, Poole

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