Councillors’ expenses in the spotlight
By Jonathan Moore
As the MPs’ expenses row threatens to overshadow the forthcoming elections it is local councillors’ claims which are now being placed under the microscope as voters across the country want to know what their local representatives are spending.
While campaigners nationwide say the topic most discussed on the doorstep is MPs’ expenses, there have been increased requests in county halls for the full cost of councils to be published.
According to the Herts and Essex Observer, councillors took home a total of £2.7 million in 2006-07.
And the highest paid member of the two councils, Essex county’s leader Lord Hanningfield, received £59,110.78, which in addition to the £39,181 he claimed as part of his work in the Lords means he was paid £98,291.78 for the year.
However, the Observer reported that the peer told them he was paid “peanuts” compared to MPs while he received “a lot less” than leaders of comparable counties.
The Bucks Free Press reported that Bucks county council leader David Shakespeare was paid a total of £54,192.83 in 2007-08 of which £4,322.60 was claimed for mileage alone.
While this figure does not appear substantial, in addition to his duties as leader of the council, Mr Shakespeare also serves as a district councillor and works “two or three mornings a week” with the Local Government Association (LGA) for which he is also paid.
“It’s shocking that some councillors are raking in quite so much money,” TaxPayers’ Alliance spokesman Marc Wallace told the paper.
“Given that each of them automatically receives thousands of pounds to help them do the job, it is highly questionable whether some of these top-end claims can be justified.
“It is good to see that there are some councillors who resist the temptation to bill large amounts to the taxpayer, but some of their colleagues are not so community-spirited.”
In Cambridgeshire the council published a full list of members’ expenses on their website after they were inundated with requests for the information.
According to a report in the Cambridge News the full bill for the 69 seats in 2007-08 was £776,880.37, though the paper pointed out the nine MPs who cover the same area cost the taxpayer £1,002,967 during the same period.
“Everyone who has looked at county councillor expenses on our website will know that we certainly do not do this for the money,” said Cllr Jill Tuck, leader of the council.
“There are no lavish expenses or perks. Members in rural areas have several parish council meetings to attend and do not claim even the mileage. The commitment from county councillors is considerable.”
She added that councillors offer good value for money, especially senior members who she said did “pretty much a full-time job”.
