Councillors asked to forgo pay rise to help Rashford campaign

We are pleased to see that some York Councillors are stepping up to the plate and offering to make a personal contribution towards eliminating child hunger.

An emergency motion, proposing the provision of food vouchers for those entitled to free school meals over the CHRISTMAS holiday period, is being tabled at a Council meeting tomorrow by Labour. However it doesn’t identify how a local scheme could be fairly funded given the other pressures on the Councils budget.

Now Independent Councillor Mark Warters has submitted an amendment which, if passed, would freeze Councillors pay, with the resulting savings being diverted into the voucher scheme.

It a classic case of asking people to put their money where their mouths are.

NB. The Council has already agreed to find over £40,000 to fund vouchers during the current half term period.

York Councillors pay hike approved

A huge pay rise for Councillors was agreed at a meeting last night.

On average it is worth an extra 18% although some will get more. It will also be backdated. The cost to taxpayers will be around £770,000 a year.

The increases were justified by a series of, largely bogus, claims that work volumes had increased since the previous review. In reality the time commitment for Councillors is broadly in line with levels experienced since local government reorganisation in the late 1990’s. Councillors also now benefit from new technology and casework support facilities.

While Independent Councillor Mark Warters has consistently criticised the increases, two Tory Councillors – who had both attended “behind close doors” consultation meetings with the review panel during the Autumn – got cold feet at the last minute and opposed the hike.

The notes from the autumn meetings, at which Councillors made their case for an inflation busting increase, are being circulated on social media. They are quite a revelation.

Councillors don’t of course have to accept the increase. They can choose to draw down less that the maximum allowed.

We will publish the actual amounts claimed by each individual next year

Other York Council news

Cllr Chris Culwick from Huntington will be next year’s Lord Mayor. His Sheriff will be Cllr Ashley Mason from Dringhouses & Woodthorpe
The Autism motion was supported by the Council yesterday as were pleas for more trees to be planted in the City.
The Council will look again at the Labour plan to ban cars from within the City Walls.

Spare us the spin

The York Council is set to reduce to 22.5% the proportion of a Council Tax bill that those who depend on benefits will have to pay. The change will be worth around £55 a year to the average claimant

This represents an improvement on the 30% that Labour extorted when they were in office.

But it does mean that out of the amounts received by claimants to cover food, heating and lighting, they will still have to find between £162 (band A) and £440 (Band G) a year in Council Tax payments.

More if the Council, in February, opts for a 3.9% increase in tax levels.

Contrary to some popular beliefs most benefits are far from generous.

Many disabled people struggle to manage on an income which was calculated to provide a basic standard of living but which did not – when conceived – envisage many claimants paying Council Tax (100% relief was allowed in many cases until the recent “reforms”)

Councillors pay set for 21% hike

Against all expectations, it appears that Councillors may vote on Thursday to accept the generous pay raise offered by an independent panel.

It has emerged that the Council’s Group Leaders – having opted to re-appoint the same panel that had recommended a generous hike when it met in 2012 – had written to them to indicate that they would endorse whatever recommendations emerged.

It was pretty much a nailed on certainty the that the panel would dust off its previously rejected recommendations and given them some new life.

Given that the Leaders effectively surrendered control of a £546,000 budget, it is surprising that they did not also specify an “affordability” ceiling for any increase.

It is also a shame that the panel did not invite some independent witnesses to help them with their deliberations.

Nor does it appear that the panel were fully appraised of the many outside bodies which Councillors serve on and which also pay responsibility allowances.

These include County bodies, various regional bodies and national organisations like the Local Government Association.

Some Councillors declare this income on their declarations of interest

In assessing the number of hours that each type of Councillor might work each week, it also seems that they were not advised that some Executive post holders also hold down full time jobs (a recent trend).

It reminds us of the story about a lawyer who died and went to heaven.

On entering the Pearly Gates, he was welcomed by St Peter.

St Peter sympathised with the lawyer who was looking miserable and said “well least you had a good innings”

The Lawyer responded “I don’t know about that. I was only 48 when I died”

Surely not” said St Peter.

“We added up all the timesheets that you had sent your clients and calculated that you were at least 108”

So “cheers” to those looking forward to a more comfortable Christmas!

Council Leader – Pay up £3955 pa

Deputy Leader – Up £2770

Labour Leader – Up £2674

Green Leader – Up £4574

Father Christmas set to bring York Councillors 21% pay increase.

An independent panel is recommending to next weeks York Council meeting that Councillors get whopping pay increases.

York Councillors proposed pay increases. About half the Council members are eligible for SRA payments.

If accepted, the rises would far outstrip the increase in pay seen by Council staff over the last 6 years.

In 2008 the Council agreed to tie members allowance rates to average Council staff wage increases, although members decided to forgo an increase during the depth of the recession.

Most Councillors were elected expecting an inflation lift of around 3%. However some, under the recommendations, would get an increase in responsibility allowances of as much as 148%.

The top salary earner would be the Council Leader who would be paid £34,668 a year. There would be no requirement for members to be full time Councillors (several members of the present Council also hold down well paid outside jobs). There is no requirement for Councillors to record the number of hours that they devote to their duties each week (although many do work very hard for their local communities)

The rationale used by the independent panel is that high wage rates are necessary to attract good quality candidates. However, at the May 2015 polls, electors had a record number of candidates to choose from.

There is little evidence to suggest that higher pay attracts better qualified candidates.

The Council does not have to accept the recommendations which, if implemented in full, would add £84,000 (15%) to the members annual wage bill.

Nor do individual Councillors have to accept a pay increase. In the past some have turned down increases and have continued to claim the amount applicable when they were last elected.

The debate comes at a time when the Council is struggling to find additional funding for elderly care as well as a bill for several hundred thousand pounds for changes to the Council Tax Support system.

One option would be for the Council to agree a total budget allocation in line with the 3.2% wage increase received by local government employees over the last 6 years,

Any further increase could be delayed until after the next local elections when, no doubt, a ballot paper full of high calibre candidates would be available for selection in all wards!