In the past few months, Haringey has become a by-word for failure in local government. Yet last night, Labour councillors voted themselves a pay rise.The Labour Lead member responsible said that they all worked terribly hard. As nearly all Labour councillors also receive extra ‘special’ allowances which boost their payments by two or three times, as a collective they must wilting with exhaustion.
Haringey’s ratings have sunk through the floor in the past few months. It is now scored as one of the worst councils in Britain by the Audit Commission. Council tax is also one of the highest in London - and the current cost of members’ allowances, at £1.2 million, is already near the top of the London league. Footballers in the Vauxhall Conference aren't getting premiership salaries. And in turbulent times like these, there shouldn’t be another penny for such abject failures.
When voting it through, Haringey's Labour councillors were quieter than last year, when they loudly justified the extra dosh. Yet they still didn't seem to realise they were doing something totally unjustifiable as well as daft, from their own point of view. It really is sticking two fingers up at local people.
3 comments:
This is one of the most disingenuous posts for quite a while.
1) The Council continued the proposal to raise allowances in line with the Local government settlement which has been the protocol for sometime - in all likelyhood this might not be anything at all
2) The raises are for all members - and indeed Lib Dems also receive special allowances for their work do they not.
3) If you object that strongly you are perfectly welcome not to take your allowance Cllr Williams.
4) Finally there was no specific vote or ammendment put forward on this matter - the Lib Dems merely objected to the report of the Constitutional Working Review Group - had this not been passed it would have broken the settlement on how allowances are decided.
Pure populist and cheap piffle
Hello JohnR, I'm afraid every point you make is inaccurate.
1) It may be OK in theory - but not in practice in a recession. Even the PM, as far as his own Ministers are concerned, has already pointed this out, hasn't he? And as far as Haringey Labour councillors are concerned, you couldn't find a bunch of councillors that less deserved a pay rise.
2&3) Judging from the views of my colleagues at the Lib Dem Group tonight, they won't be taking any increase that is offered - nor will I.
4) There's no 'settlement' at all - we voted against the allowance scheme at the Council, as we did the previous two years. The Haringey scheme is too big - especially for a failing council.
Hmm, well if the rate was agreed in November for a rise from April 1st 2008, then based on a basic allowance I calculate you owe the Council £282. Will you be paying this back?
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