Cheshire East councillors have narrowly voted to increase their annual allowances by £500, writes Belinda Ryan.
And one councillor said if wealthier members voted against the rise then poorer councillors and democracy would suffer.
At present, all 82 councillors receive a basic allowance of £12,351, which will now increase by a flat £500 annually and be backdated to 2022/3.
The special responsibility allowance (SRA) for committee chairs – which for most is £7,650 – will rise by 4.04%.
The Conservatives voted against the increase, with Knutsford councillor Stewart Gardiner arguing now was not the time.
Conservative group leader Janet Clowes said the increase proposed was based on an historic independent review from 2021 which hadn’t been mentioned in this year’s public budget consultation.
“To then bring forward a historic review that they [the public] knew nothing about to raise allowances and contrary to consultation is perverse, misleading and reputationally damaging to this council and councillors alike,” she said.
Labour’s Anthony Critchley (Crewe) said he would be voting against the rise and told the meeting: “This is a bigger percentage increase than some council workers are currently being offered, so it doesn’t sit well with me.
“We’ve heard already today that the austerity budget voted for by members in February now needs to be implemented, so I really struggle to understand on what basis could you justify hitting every other aspect of the council budget but grow councillors allowances.”
But many Labour and Independent councillors argued some members were in financial need and democracy was at stake.
Labour’s Rob Vernon (Macclesfield) said: “If you want to attract more working class young people to this council they’ve got to be able to afford to do it. The time for a pay rise for the whole country is now.
“If you can afford to reject a pay rise, do so on your own accord.. but don’t force me to do that because I can’t afford to.”
Sandbach councillor Laura Crane (Lab) said: “I’ve got four kids, I have to seriously consider my position as a councillor if the cost of living crisis continues to rise.
“Representation should not be reserved for those who don’t need to worry about their bills.”
And she urged councillors to vote for the rise saying: “It is not acceptable to enforce a difficult life on others purely because you don’t need to worry about it.”
Macclesfield councillor David Edwardes (Ind) said: “I don’t have the good fortune of a super job or a large pension or family wealth.
“I’m just an average Joe Public who, like many of our residents, is struggling along to make ends meet.”
Wilmslow councillor Mark Goldsmith (Ind) said politicians received a wage or allowance to ensure politics wasn’t dominated by wealthy people.
“No-one becomes a councillor for the pay but the pay does allow many people to be a councillor,” said Cllr Goldsmith.
He added that over winter: “I saw some councillors were video conferencing from home while wearing thick coats and woolly hats.
“Clearly they were struggling financially to keep their house warm.
“Do they need a pay rise? Yes, I think they do. Many other councillors have mortgages to pay and young children to support.
“Please do not deprive those who need it by voting against this proposal because not only will you make other councillors suffer, but our democracy will also suffer too.”
A named vote was called and the increase was approved with 37 councillors voting in favour, 30 against and six abstained.
Hi CC
Sorry forgot to add ,I also pay for street lighting, which is now being proposed to be switched off at night, so would like a refund for that part of a service which I am paying my council tax for which it now looks like they will not be providing, I also pay for library’s to be open as well but that also seems to be in question.
I could go on but what would be the point,we just need to be mindful of who we ,or I vote for in the future .
Oh, I have found a cheaper option for my garden rubbish as you so kindly put it ,I prefer green waste but not to worry, the black bin will do just fine.
Sorry, missed a line….
I just hope you guys can pick up all the flytipping mess and deal with the mixing of garden waste into other bins for less than you will make from the new tax that very few will pay. And yeah, despite what you say it is a tax, if we want to continue using the service that our council offers we must pay you more money. You are free to call it what you want, its a tax.
LOL, so let me get this straight then. Emptying our bins is a service, that we can agree on. We pay council tax to CEC to provide us with the service, it has been that way for 15 years but suddenly you decide that your p**s poor management of funds is our problem and that you’re deficit is somehow our hole which needs to filled so now you’re not going to provide a service that you created and have been encouraging us to use for over a decade whilst at the same time giving yourselves a pay rise and you have the gall to try and justify it by saying you don’t have to collect the green bins that you gave us in the first place? Is this actually something that just happened?
Hi CC
Did I touch a nerve, I currently pay my council tax,and as of the last 15 years my garden waste has been collected as part of that said tax.
So as of next year the council have decided that this was provided free of charge and now wish to charge me for it,how gullible are you,then again you will probably be benefitting from the pay rise given to our hard working councilors
It isn’t a tax, garden waste collection is an ‘opt in’ service and residents that want to use it will be required to subscribe and pay. The subscription will be an additional payment and is not an automatic payment like the council tax.It is a charge for a service, which every council in the land can make, They do not have to collect your green rubbish. I just hope that you are able to find a cheaper service than the proposed £56 a year for the one being provided by Cheshire East.
So that’s where the tax on my garden waste bin is going,by the way I will not be paying, we your constitutes are also struggling, so at what point do you start to provide value for money