Ray Earwicker on annual cost of council allowances

10.37.31am GMT Sat 13th Sep 2008

I suspect many residents will have missed the publication by Bracknell Forest Borough Council of the allowances paid to councillors in 2007-08 (page 66, Standard 4 September).

The annual cost of providing these allowances, excluding pensions, mileage and subsistence is now well over half a million pounds a year. The basic individual allowance is in excess of £8,000 a year and the average annual executive members' allowance is about £25,000. The Leader, Cllr Paul Bettison, was able to claim over £40,000 (inc. subsistence) in 2007-08.

Nearly two-thirds of the 39 Conservative members of the Council enjoyed a special responsibility allowance of some kind, while the Mayor and Deputy Major were also able to claim additional allowances of £11,720 and £3,593, respectively for the mayoral duties which they had undertaken.

Bracknell is the smallest of the six unitary authorities in Berkshire and yet its allowances are among the highest. This surprising state of affairs must be open to question and throw into doubt the findings and conclusions of the independent remuneration panel on which the allowances are usually based.

The Cabinet structure of the Council, which consists of just eight executive members of the ruling Conservative group, dominates policy making and virtually renders the other 34 members of the Council redundant as far as the decision-making process is concerned. Without an effective opposition and with so many compliant Conservative members present, most executive decisions are rarely challenged and debate in full Council is almost non-existent.

It seems pertinent to ask therefore whether council taxpayers are getting value for money and in the majority of cases it would appear this is clearly not the case.

Ray Earwicker

Parliamentary Spokesperson

Bracknell Liberal Democrats