Kirklees’ opposition groups respond to Labour leadership's plans to cut councillor allowances

Last week, it was announced that acting council leader, Coun Cathy Scott, is looking to reduce councillors’ allowances as she says elected members should “take their fair share of the burden” considering the challenging financial climate.

All councillors are entitled to a basic allowance of £15,080 with additional payments for those with extra responsibilities.

Ten per cent of the leader’s allowance of £27,210 has been slashed and the nine other cabinet members have agreed to a five per cent reduction in their £13,709 allowances.

The proposed cuts aim to save the council £100,000 and a formal report will be brought to September’s council meeting to begin the process.

Currently, the council is projecting a £20.3m overspend on its £380m budget for this financial year and is implementing increasingly severe money-saving measures to avoid effective bankruptcy.

All non-essential spending has been stopped and non-essential recruitment frozen, and 250 redundancies are to be made between October and March.

Leader of the Lib Dem group, Coun John Lawson, said: “It’s understandable that in the current crisis Kirklees Labour, while cutting staff and making unprecedented hikes in charges, would want to try and demonstrate some kind of symbolic solidarity with residents.

"However, the current allowances have a problematic history.

“Fifteen minutes before the council meeting last September the Labour Group, supported by the Conservatives, brought forward a proposal to increase councillor allowances.

"It was so short and lacking in detail that there wasn’t even a percentage figure included in the wording, so many who voted hadn’t a clue what they were voting for.

“Liberal Democrats voted against that proposal on procedural grounds and I said in the meeting that the lack of clarity in the process was an insult to the public.

“A reduction of five per cent would go some way to redress that 7.6 per cent increase but is perhaps cold comfort to struggling residents.

“It is also worth noting that only three cabinet members will experience a cut in real terms as the rest are receiving new, increased allowances with their roles.”

Leader of the Conservative group, Coun David Hall, said: “I welcome the fact that Labour are finally taking responsibility for some of the financial pain that all residents are feeling due to their poor financial management, by reducing cabinet allowances.

“I am happy to work on a cross party basis to bring forward sensible proposals which can achieve at least this level of savings from within the budget.

“The Conservative group will continue to work constructively with the administration and officers to find the savings necessary to pull the council back from Labour’s financial precipice.”

Green group leader, Coun Andrew Cooper, said: “The Green group welcomes the proposal to take a cut in councillors’ allowances to help with the financial crisis that the Kirklees Labour administration finds itself in.

“Instead of going through an expensive and time-consuming review process, eating up lots of valuable officer time, why don’t members of all parties just agree to take a cut in special responsibility allowances of five per cent just like Labour have done?

"If we just accept the same cut as Labour, then officers can get on with the serious job of addressing the £47million hole in the council’s finances.”

Holme Valley Independent, Coun Charles Greaves, said: “Any decision will be made by the Labour group.

"As there is a pay award pending it may well be that they just plan not to take the rise – I think that would be a missed opportunity and I would rather see far more fundamental change.

“A reduction in the number of councillors and changes to our wards and elections would save far more money – millions not thousands, and would help make the council more efficient and more accountable.

“I believe that there are lots of councillors who work hard to earn their money.

"There are already issues with attracting capable people to stand, and the workload and expectations on some councillors can make it almost a full-time job.

"Unlike MPs, we don’t get the summer off – the issues we deal with are year-round and never ending.

“I appreciate that there are councillors who do little, and that they are carried by other councillors and officers – rather than pay them less I would rather not have them at all.

“The boundary review is a once in a decade chance to make some real changes – I hope Kirklees steps forward and makes them.”