Councillors' Allowances And Expenses.
The resignation of all four members of East Hertfordshire's Independent Remuneration Panel has intensified the dispute.What is now needed requires both calm thought and prompt action. Three points follow:-
[A] As soon as possible 4 or 5 people (or possibly more) [mostly East Herts residents] should be recruited to the I.R.P.;
[B] At their next meeting the Councillors should review and revoke the decision, made last time, to preserve special responsibility allowances at their current high level. This should enable the new I.R.P. when appointed to substitute new figures for the special responsibility allowances - perhaps even the reduced amounts specified by the Panel Members who have just resigned; and
[C] The Councillors should request the National Standards board to ban district councillors from determining the remuneration and allowances payable to members of I.R.P.'s. A national scale of £250.00 should be substituted, but it should be optional, since some councils prefer not to pay at all. The present situation gives rise to conflicts of interest and possibleabuses, which could be characterized by the reproaches ("Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, " and "one good turn deserves another.")
However, one achievement stands out in the current predicament; councillors not entitled to special responsibility allowances have had their basic allowances reduced from c.£5200.00 to £4746.00, £20.00 below the Shadow I.R.P.'s recommendation of last September, a result for which the Jacksonite majority of councillors deserve full credit.
Michael B. Buck.
[A] As soon as possible 4 or 5 people (or possibly more) [mostly East Herts residents] should be recruited to the I.R.P.;
[B] At their next meeting the Councillors should review and revoke the decision, made last time, to preserve special responsibility allowances at their current high level. This should enable the new I.R.P. when appointed to substitute new figures for the special responsibility allowances - perhaps even the reduced amounts specified by the Panel Members who have just resigned; and
[C] The Councillors should request the National Standards board to ban district councillors from determining the remuneration and allowances payable to members of I.R.P.'s. A national scale of £250.00 should be substituted, but it should be optional, since some councils prefer not to pay at all. The present situation gives rise to conflicts of interest and possibleabuses, which could be characterized by the reproaches ("Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, " and "one good turn deserves another.")
However, one achievement stands out in the current predicament; councillors not entitled to special responsibility allowances have had their basic allowances reduced from c.£5200.00 to £4746.00, £20.00 below the Shadow I.R.P.'s recommendation of last September, a result for which the Jacksonite majority of councillors deserve full credit.
Michael B. Buck.
posted by Michael Buck at 4:25 AM
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