Councillors reject expenses hike

8:39am Tuesday 20th May 2008

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A PLAN to massively increase some of the expenses Warrington's councillors could claim has been thrown out.

All three parties voted to shelve independent recommendations which would have seen the total amount of expenses on offer rise to £668,151.

They instead agreed on a plan that would cost £24,000 less and stop a shift in money going from backbench councillors to frontbench, executive colleagues.

Under the original plan, put to members at Monday's annual council meeting, the basic level claimed by backbenchers would have dropped by £700 to £6,614 while some executive members would have picked up around £4,000 more.

Council leader Ian Marks said the proposals were not acceptable.

He added: "They are too expensive, we do not accept that the basic should be reduced by 10 per cent and we do not accept a massive shift of cash from ordinary members to executive members."

After no rise last year, the general hike for two years will be about five per cent. Clr Marks also said the amount claimed in Warrington was among the lowest in the country.

And Labour leader Clr Terry O'Neill said councillors should not feel ashamed to claim the money and that it should be used to attract younger and different types of people to the role.

He added: "Warrington is a big town and we need more able people to be elected.

"We lost Hitesh Patel (who lost his seat in May in Bewsey and Whitecross) who was an excellent young councillor but we need to attract more people like this.

"We do not become councillors to get rich and nobody does it for the allowances.

"Maybe we should get the editor of the Guardian to work out the amount for us."

And Tory leader Keith Bland added: "We are all frightened to death to say we should get a rise. And we shouldn't be."

All parties have agreed to work out a plan to improve the situation before next year's annual meeting.