At Monday night’s Council meeting, the Labour Group voted against taking a 5% cut in their allowances to show that they understand the pain that cutbacks in council services & to staff numbers is causing to the people of Bassetlaw & especially the council workers.

The allowances for councillors are relatively small, for most it is £4628 a year.  It is not meant to be a wage nor is it for allowable expenses which councillors can claim back on top of this.  In the words of the Remuneration Report voted on at the meeting, the allowance “… is intended to recognise the time commitment of all Councillors, including such inevitable calls on their time as meeting with officers and constituents and attendance at political group meetings.  It is also designed to cover incidental costs such as the use of their home.”

No-one puts themselves forward as a Councillor to become rich, I know that most of them are hard working and do it from a sense of civic duty.  I am sure that most of them do not rely on the allowance they get to live on so would taking a £231.40 cut been such a hardship?

The Labour Group may complain that, as the suggestion was put forward by the Conservatives, it was only a political stunt and would not save the Council much money.  Well what if it was?  By voting against it they have show themselves to be small minded and insensitive to the pain many others are suffering at the moment.

To show how much this means to me, if I am elected as a Councillor in May, I promise that I will donate 5% of my allowance to a charity in Worksop South.  I call upon all the Tory Councillors who voted for the cut to do likewise to show that it was not just a cheap stunt.  I would also hope that Labour Councillor will do the same.