Cllr Kitcat

A report on councillor allowances, originally due to be voted on at the full council meeting of March 18, has again been deferred by the Conservative administration.

Cllr Jason Kitcat, Green spokesperson for Finance, said:
"The proposals in this report were fair, balanced and reduced the overall cost of councillor allowances against what had been budgeted for - potentially saving taxpayers over £25,000 this year.
 
"At the meeting of 18th March, council leader Mary Mears promised the report would be brought back to a meeting at the earliest opportunity.  However it was not on the agenda for the annual council meeting in May nor this month's full council meeting on 15th July.  During this time councillors have continued to draw the allowances this report’s recommendations propose to abolish."
 
The Independent Remuneration Panel's key recommendations, which followed an 18-month review by the panel after the new cabinet system was introduced to the council, included:
 
·          All group leader additional allowances to be proportional to the number of seats in their group;
 
·          That allowances are no longer paid to deputy chairs of committees;
 
·          That only one (not two) deputy leaders of the opposition receive allowances;
 
·          That a maximum of 25 Special Responsibility Allowances be payable (a reduction on the current 34);
 
·          That allowances are no longer given to the two of the six councillor representatives on the Arts Commission who were in receipt of them;
 
·          That the work of backbench councillors is recognised with a 1% increase in their basic allowance.

Cllr Kitcat added:
"This report from the Independent Remuneration Panel recommended cutting the number of additional allowances from 34 to 25. The main beneficiaries of these extra allowances are Tory and Labour councillors.
 
“So perhaps it's no surprise that they voted together in March to delay this report, and they have done nothing since to bring it back before the council for a proper vote.
 
“It's insulting to the panel members for their report to be treated in this way.  It very much looks like Tory and Labour councillors are more than happy to delay this report, and keep taking the allowances, for as long as possible.
 
“Greens opposed deferring the report, and we ask that it be brought to this month’s council meeting on the 15th July."

For more information about the Greens view:
www.brightonhovegreens.org