Councillors award themselves 25pc pay rise despite hundreds of job cuts

Councillors presiding over hundreds of job losses amid swingeing spending cuts at their local authority have voted to give themselves a 25 per cent pay rise.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8...f-job-cuts.html

 

Members of Cambridgeshire County Council will see their allowances package increase from £7,610 a year to £9,500 after they approved the deal.

 

The decision attracted condemnation from union leaders, who branded its timing “incredibly insensitive”, while council workers were being made redundant.

 

Under the changes, approved by 33 votes to 29, the Tory council’s leader, Nick Clarke, will enjoy a £38,000 annual allowances package – up from £29,856.

 

Other councillors with additional responsibilities for holding cabinet posts and chairing committees will see larger increases in their pay.

 

Steve Sweeney, of Unison, said: “It shows huge insensitivity to do it at a time when we are facing a pay freeze, job losses and a tax on public sector pensions.”

 

Backing the pay rise, Cllr Clarke said he wanted to break down barriers which deterred people from diverse backgrounds standing for election.

 

He said: “Schemes of remuneration should contribute to a vigorous and healthy local democracy and if democracy is to prosper people must have choice.”

 

Cllr Clarke was supported by Cllr Catherine Hutton, who was recently forced to step down from the Conservative front bench due to work commitments.

 

She said: “It’s absolutely vital we encourage as many people from as wide as possible a background to get involved and that doesn’t mean those lucky enough to be retired, lucky enough to have made a fortune in business, it means good people with a wide range of skills from all areas of the economy.”

 

The Liberal Democrats on the council almost unanimously voted against the rise, joined by four Conservatives.

 

Tory backbencher Cllr Steve Tierney said: “We’ve been asking staff to take a pay freeze and we’ve been making people redundant, and I would feel very uncomfortable taking a rise.”

 

Independent Cllr Lister Wilson accused the Tories of being “out of touch with how tough things are for ordinary working families”.

 

The council said members would not be forced to take the extra cash.

 

A spokesman said: "Councillors voted to approve recommendations made by the Independent Remuneration Panel.

 

"The increase brings Cambridgeshire County Council's allowances more in line with those paid by other county councils.

 

"Councillors were given a free vote on the issue, and have the option not to accept any increase, or indeed any allowance from the council."

 

The council has not increased its allowances since 2003.

 

Its last review was in 2006 when councillors voted not to increase their allowances.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I am Jack's sense of utter burning rage.....

 

 

This is the problem with going for years without increasing allowances. If they had increased it by roughly 2.5% each year they would be roughly where they are now.

 

However, they made the decision not to increase them in recent years. Choosing to increase them by such a large amount now is a pretty stupid thing to do. Council workers facing a minimal pay rise or the loss of their job have every right to be angry.

This is the problem with going for years without increasing allowances. If they had increased it by roughly 2.5% each year they would be roughly where they are now.

 

However, they made the decision not to increase them in recent years. Choosing to increase them by such a large amount now is a pretty stupid thing to do. Council workers facing a minimal pay rise or the loss of their job have every right to be angry.

 

Yep, indeed, timing is everything... It's all very well for them to bleat about "oh, but these increases are in line with other places", but doing now in an Economic downturn with services being cut, jobs being cut, pay freezes, etc... All the people of that borough are going to see is a bunch of Councillors just totally taking the piss while they have to tighten their belts...

 

"We're all in this together".... -_-

 

Fair enough they haven't had a rise in a while but to have such a big rise in such a poor economy is ridiculous and highly insensitive.

Fair enough they haven't had a rise in a while but to have such a big rise in such a poor economy is ridiculous and highly insensitive.

 

They should've taken the rise in 2006, when the economy wasn't f**ked....

 

They should've taken the rise in 2006, when the economy wasn't f**ked....

I completely agree. I don't begrudge them A rise (I've just got 2.5% but then again I'm just above minimum wage) but 25% with the economy in the state it's in is utterly insane.

I completely agree. I don't begrudge them A rise (I've just got 2.5% but then again I'm just above minimum wage) but 25% with the economy in the state it's in is utterly insane.

 

I wouldn't have minded a rise of something like the rate of inflation, but I'm just totally shocked that they're taking 25% all in one go while they're making people redundant and saying to others that they have to accept pay freezes... It's not on... They're setting a very bad example.... And, how on earth can they expect their constituents who are also going through tough times to hold them in anything other than utter contempt....

 

This is just a very bad show all round...