Comments on: TPA slams DCLG Select Committee plan to hike councillors’ allowances

By: Garfield

Garfield — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:39:00 +0000

I wouldn’t be so sure. You have to remunerate councillors otherwise you will never get a cross-section of society. The lower paid will be busy making ends meet to support their families and spending all their time working (at NMW) and won’t even have time to work for the community. Even volunteers get paid expenses.

By: Garfield

Garfield — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:35:00 +0000

Can you tell HMRC to stop treating it as an income (as it is only to cover expenses) and not tax it, therefore, there would be no need to increase the allowances in order to atrract the best local people.

By: EppingBlogger

EppingBlogger — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:34:00 +0000

The “report” (aka opinion) also exhorts “It is vital that communities have councillors to whom they can relate.
Political parties have a critical role to play in raising the proportion
of women, younger people and black and minority ethnic people serving
on their local council.”

Is it really supposed that white and white, black and black, young and young talk only to each other and no one else.

What next – every council needs a teacher, a baker and a candlestick maker to “represent” like folk.

Daft idea.

By: Sir Talbot Buxomley

Sir Talbot Buxomley — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:44:00 +0000

So stand for election then and beat them and then YOU take zero Cllr allowance!

By: Old Blue Eyes

Old Blue Eyes — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 16:32:00 +0000

I submit that councils were better run when councilors didn’t get any allowances. Then you got people standing for election who did so with a desire to serve the community. Now you get people who are in it for what they can get out of it.

By: Greychatter

Greychatter — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:56:00 +0000

Rochdale Labour controlled council are ptoposing exactly the same dodge.

By: ScaryBiscuits

ScaryBiscuits — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:19:00 +0000

I think it should be added that this committe has a Lib/Lab majority. Although it is another example of how Cameron is failing to lead a coherent government, with Coalition MPs failing to obey the whip or align themselves with government policy.

By: Bob Horsforth

Bob Horsforth — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 09:44:00 +0000

The City Councillors from Horsforth have had their noses in the trough for far to long…