What gets more time in a Bolsover DC meeting – M1 congestion or a proposal to tax the poorest people in the District?

If you want to see what people value look where they spend their time. At this morning’s Council meeting the members of Bolsover spent nearly an hour considering the impact of opening up the hard shoulder of the M1 to traffic. Members queued up to tell the professionals from the Highways agency what to do with their scheme.  The truth as we all know, is that without a proper transport policy whatever you do with the current roads, king car will choke them,  a reality that has eluded this government just as it eluded the last one.

Ultimately it didn’t really matter, Bolsover DC is not in charge of motorways, (just imagine), and it was only a consultation. Later on the agenda came something that Bolsover DC certainly is in charge of; deciding whether the 4,000 poorest families in the District should continue to get their Council tax paid in full. Suddenly all those strident voices had nothing to say, they meekly stared at their beautiful desks. In a re-run of the Poll Tax the Executive of this Labour-controlled Council wants everyone on benefit to pay about £85. They weren’t every dissuaded when I pointed out that the costs of collecting this at £25,000 pa was more than the revenue that the District would receive from it!

The Leader Eion Watts made some remarks about how very sorry he was, and how dreadful the government was, and then got quite annoyed that I dared to list some of the 100+ Council’s who are standing up to the Government and are not levying this tax.  He also tried to defend the Councillors highest basic allowances in the country, which I hadn’t even mentioned, but you know what a guilty mind is like.

Will they ever smell the coffee?

The pre-contemplative stage

Change is never easy, many never get to smell the coffee.

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.