The Lib Dem controlled Northampton Borough councillors this week voted to pass themselves a 7.7% pay increase for all councillors. The leader of the council voted himself a 43% pay increase. Yes, you read that right, a forty-three-per-cent pay increase. The deputy leader gets a 64% increase. All cabinet members get a 55% pay increase. By a vote of 23 to 15, this egregious pay deal was passed and represents a big slap in the face to taxpayers’ who, in the current economic climate, can only dream of such a pay increase.
Why did they do this, then? The council leadership justified it as to “encourage those on lower incomes to become councillors”. Never mind public service or the fact that many people, pensioners and community activists who give up their time and money to become local representatives, already do a wonderful job, sometimes voting against pay increases or refusing to take their salary at all. No, NBC want to use taxpayers’ money to try and tempt people into public service because of the money involved.
But looking closer at Northampton Borough Council’s accounts, you’ll see that the council has a £7.2million budget black hole this year, with added risk of service cuts. Talk about skewed priorities. What these councillors will respond with is that they took the advice of an ‘independent panel’, but the point is that these recommendations are non-binding – they could have rejected them.
If you’re fed up of politicians using your money to line their pockets, ask Northampton Borough’s councillors whether they voted for the pay increase or not, whether they will take the pay increase or not and – if they voted for it – why they did so given the council’s dire financial situation:
Cllr Sally Beardsworth (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Shadik Chaudhury (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Richard Church (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Scott Collins (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Roger Conroy (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Jenny Conroy (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Maria-Trinidad Crake (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Mel de Cruz (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr David Garlick (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Brendan Glynane (LD Deputy Leader) - [email protected]
Cllr Jean Hawkins (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Brian Hoara (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Jane Hollis (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Irene Markham (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Brian Markham (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Richard Matthews (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Dennis Meredith (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Malcolm Mildren (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr David Perkins (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Andrew Simpson (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Marianne Taylor (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Pam Varnsverry (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Paul Varnsverry (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Portia Wilson (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr Anthony Woods (LD Leader of the Council) - [email protected]
Cllr John Yates (LD) - [email protected]
Cllr John Caswell (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Jane Duncan (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Donald Edwards (Con) - 01604 752551 (No email address)
Cllr Penelope Flavell (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Tim Hadland (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Michael Hill (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Michelle Hoare (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Jamie Lane (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Phil Larratt (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Judith Lill (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Colin Lill (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Christopher Malpas (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr David Palethorpe (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Kevin Reeve (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Elizabeth Taverner (Con) - [email protected]
Cllr Joy Capstick (Lab) - [email protected]
Cllr Iftikhar Ahmed Choudary (Lab) - [email protected]
Cllr Keith Davies (Lab) - [email protected]
Cllr Lee Mason (Lab) - [email protected]
Cllr Tess Scott (Lab) - [email protected]
Cllr Tony Clarke (Independent) - [email protected]