Monday 8 February 2010

Local Blog: Cut Councillors Pay to Save the Look In Cafe


Bracknell Council Labour Leader Anne Shillcock has called for a 5% cut in allowances to help pay for the Look In Cafe.

To pay for the Look In Cafe the reduction in allowances would have to be more like 10% because it costs £60,000 to run the Look In Cafe. I spoke to the former Lib Dem Councillor and current PPC Ray Earwicker and he confirmed that the Lib Dems would be willing to take a cut if they were on the council. He also informed me that he did not accept a rise in allowances while he was a councillor.

I do think councillors should be paid for their time and agree with Paul Bettison (council leader on this point) for this reason its not fair of Bettison to simply state that claiming an allowance is down to the individuals. It would be better to have a free vote on taking a cut in allowances and fairer. Why should one councillor pay for the Look In Cafe while others don't?

This is also why we need more opposition on the council and other points of view. Because the current Tory council have too much power.

A March is planned in Bracknell Town on Saturday 13th February from 10:30 to 12:00.

This links into my blog here which includes links to the Facebook campaigns.

12 comments:

  1. I note that local Labourites want to offer back some money instead of the usual grab’n’waste like their national Leaders do. (Has VAT and petrol gone up or is it just me?). The Dim Libs as ever state how righteous they are but don’t really contribute anything to change anything. The Tories meanwhile hold onto the money that they think is their own.
    So, nothing changes.
    There is a big election coming up soon and the people are fed up with so much of their tax being treated like monopoly money by the liblabcons. At the General Election there will be other parties who deserve your precious vote. Think on.

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  2. Nice attack on Labour UKIP, so what have UKIP changed then? I mean Lib Dems are not even in the council and nor are you so hey ho nothing changed there then

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  3. Having been goaded to promote UKIP policies onto this nice little blogg so here we go:
    UKIP believe that British taxpayers’ money should be spent on British taxpayers, on their schools, hospitals and pensions. Just imagine what we could achieve if the £15bn cost of our membership of the EU was spent in the UK, rather than being lost on fraud and corruption in Brussels.
    Saving a drop-in Cafe in Bracknell is small potatoes when we stop that money from going down the EU drain.

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  4. How much do Bracknell Councilors get paid?

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  5. they are a buch of oldys on pensions who get paid 30000 pounds a year and big pensions to tell young peeple wot to do.
    all of then over 50 must be sakked and a new election mmde. the ukip is full of bold men and no women. and they are all over 60.
    young peeple wood do it for free. You wood have to may them money to get there. and some money if they wood loos there wage be going to the office. the eu dose things for young peeple and send them to europ to talk to politisians and make the rules and laws better.
    the labur peeple in the lookout just want the mony that the councillors have got. better not let any of them have it. wear then all better of. the only good one is Guy Gilby.

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  6. Look at
    www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/members-allowances-2008-2009

    The basic allowance is 8601k

    In actual fact relatively few councillors in Bracknell get this as other allowances come into play ie travel /dependants special responibility etc.etc.

    Paul Bettison - 39,084k
    Mrs Beardsley - 27,953k
    Mary Ballin - 26,617k

    Bracknell councillors are extremely well paid in comparison with some other councils.

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  7. Council Tax payer9 February 2010 at 11:31

    I think taking a cut in their allowances is a great idea. And why are there so many councillors, what do they all do?

    Just looking at the expenses claimed by them (on the Bracknell Forest website) why do some councillors claim so much in travel expenses? For the period of 2007-2009 I see that Mrs Balin has claimed £3,910 and Mr Barnard has claimed £5,756. Where are they going for these vast sums of money?

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  8. I too wondered over those travel allowances they seem excessive to say the least.

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  9. The Council can not effeect the ward sizes they are determined by the Boundary Committee, however they can have a vote to reduce or indeed increase their allowances

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  10. It seems this matter has been brough up before .
    Bracknell is one of the smaller authority areas in Berkshire yet has one of the biggest allowances in regard to Councillors.
    I would echo 'Council Tax Payer' is asking what do they all do?

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  11. Who knows what they all do!! I think they just sit and agree with everything the Executive say, then pick up their (basic) £8k+.
    I think Harry Pothead shood stand and we wood get sumwun nobody cud understand. "the wood loos there wage" WOT????

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  12. Do our children and our children's children have to work forever to pay these greedy councilors fat pension funds?
    Insulated from the worries of other people these sickening fat cats need to be turned out on their well upholstered asses.

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