At yesterday's council meeting the member allowance scheme was on the agenda, but the Chairman didn't want to have any discussion about it and when I dared to suggest that Cllr Watts record of claiming some of the highest travelling and subsistence allowances of any District Councillor in Derbyshire wasn't the best qualification for the role of presiding over other member's expenses they moved rapidly to the vote.
So for those who are able to get over the pre-contemplative stage and want to make the world of local government a better place here were my proposals:
1.
Remove all references to the Leader or
Deputy Leader giving approvals for meal or hotel expenditure and replace them
with the Chief Executive an independent, and accountable, officer.
2.
Reinstate maximum claims for meals and
hotels, we cannot afford, and the public will not tolerate a 60% increase in
these costs.
3.
For travelling costs state that where there
is a public transport alternative Councillors the scheme should require it to
be used.
4.
State that the Council will never pay for spouses,
partners or friends whether the cost are subsequently reimbursed or not. They should be met from the basic member’s allowances, after all they are large enough!
5.
Where Council members take positions of responsibility
with external organisations such as the ICA then the acceptance of such a position
should be on the condition that organisation bearing the associated costs of travel
and subsistence not the tax-payers of Bolsover.
It is hard to comprehend why such sensible proposals should get such a hostile response, unless that is, there is something to hide.
What IS going on in Bolsover? The combination of what you say about councillor allowances, and the shady details around meal and hotel expenditure, make it sound close to corrupt. What possible need would a district councillor have for claiming hotels and meal allowances anyway? Most would be shy to claim to travel, as surely there's not much serious travel involved in the duties of a district councillor.
ReplyDeleteEven though Bolsover Councillor get the highest basic allownce of any District Councillor in the country, last year at least one Councillor seems to have claimed for nearly every car journey made between his home and the Council office when he attends for a meeting or business. At 60p a mile it soon mounts up.
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