Borough Council Allowanc

1.32.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 5th Jun 2009

Before we all get carried away with how frugal our Borough councillors have been with expenses (Standard, 4 June), it pays to consider just how much these councillors are actually costing local taxpayers overall.

The total cost is now in the region of £600,000, excluding any pension rights approved under new regulations introduced in May 2003. May be these should have been investigated rather than the relatively modest amount of expenses involved.

When the Conservatives took control of the Borough Council in 1997, the basic allowance for councillors was £523.64p; now it is well over £8,000. The Leader of the Council also received an additional special responsibility allowance of £6000; now it is almost £30,000!

In the circumstances it is hardly surprising that elected members have not claimed as much in travel and subsistence as they might have done. During the four years that I was a councillor I never accepted an increase in the basic allowance that was offered every year, nor did I sign up to the seemingly very generous pension arranagements on offer because I felt these could not be justified.

While it is true that the duties and responsbilities of the Council have increased significantly since it became a unitary authority in 1998, Bracknell remains the smallest of the unitaries in Berkshire and its allowances have always been among the highest.

When Cllr Bettison can collect, as Leader of the Borough Council, nearly £38,000 in allowances and almost £5,000 in subsistence, is it any wonder he feels unable to claim 'for taxis, trains or car mileage'. All those late nights and heavy lunches must weigh heavily on his mind!

Ray Earwicker

Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bracknell