£5000 to be spent on reviewing councillors' pay

[dutchman]

Coventry council taxpayers will fork out £5,000 on consultants to help a review of councillors’ pay – even though pay rises have already been ruled out.



Councillors insist they will not be awarding themselves any pay rise or make any changes whatever the independent review recommends, at a time of cuts and staff pay freezes.

The whole review has been blasted as a waste of time and money.

Council deputy leader, Labour councillor George Duggins, said the “futile” review was being forced on the council by government legislation, which requires councils to review pay for councillors every four years.

But opposition leader, Tory councillor Kevin Foster, blasted as “bizarre” a decision to hire private consultants to do admin and paper work to support the independent review team – which itself will be paid another £1,500.

There is cross-party agreement among councillors that any pay rise would be unacceptable at a time when 17,000 council workers have had salaries frozen – effectively a pay cut with inflation rises seeing the cost of living going up.

Councillors’ allowances – £13,000 for backbenchers, plus an extra £10,000 for cabinet members and more for leaders – have been linked to average staff pay for 11 years.

Councillors themselves have taken pay freezes for two years.

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[dutchman]

U-turn over Coventry councillors' planned pay review

COVENTRY City Council leaders have performed a U-turn over a review into councillors’ pay.

It follows the Telegraph’s report on Monday that £5,000 was to be spent on consultants as part of an independent review – even though councillors had already ruled out any changes to what they get paid.

Labour leaders had joined opposition councillors in branding the review a “futile” waste of money, while insisting government legislation forced them into it.

Now they have gone back to the drawing board to see if the whole review can be scrapped, despite legal requirements.

Council leaders had given the go-ahead, despite councillors across the political divide making clear they would ignore any recommendations from the independent review to increase their allowances.

They say any rise would be unacceptable at a time of council staff pay freezes and job cuts.

All parties also want to continue the link between councillors’ allowances and staff pay, so that allowances only rise if staff pay rises.

But council officers had advised councillors the law required councils to hold an independent review of their allowances every four years – and one was due this year.

Coun Duggins said yesterday: “I’ve now asked for this to be looked at again, and to look at what the consequences would be of us not doing it.

“There are legal requirements, but the council wouldn’t be in any difficulty in my view if we don’t do it.

“We will look if we can get out of the contract with consultants, although that might cost us money.

“A questionnaire to councillors as part of the review has been suspended.”

Some Labour councillors had complained that council leaders were not doing enough to challenge council officers’ advice about the legal requirements.

Coun Duggins said any minor issues about extra allowances for extra responsibilities for a handful of councillors on scrutiny committees could be examined without a review team – which would receive an additional £1,500.

Opposition leader, Tory councillor Kevin Foster, had attacked the “bizarre” go-ahead for the review.

The consultants’ work would include writing up notes from meetings of a separate independent review team, writing a final report, holding talks with council leader John Mutton over the review team’s recommendations, analysing allowances at other councils, and appointing the independent review team.

Councillors currently get £13,000 for backbenchers, plus an extra £10,000 for cabinet members and more for leaders.

[dutchman]

£6.5k review of Coventry councillors' pay to go ahead despite protests

COVENTRY council’s leader has declared that a review of councillors’ pay WILL definitely go ahead – despite party leaders already ruling out pay increases.

Councillor John Mutton’s interjection over the controversial independent pay review – on return from his holiday – came after his deputy leader George Duggins said the whole plan would be re-examined.

The U-turn on the U-turn means council taxpayers WILL pay £5,000 to consultants as part of the £6,500 review of councillors’ allowances.

It was branded a “bizarre” waste of time and money by Tory opposition leader councillor Kevin Foster – because the council’s party leaders would reject any recommendations for major changes from an independent review team.