Paul Wheeler 15 April 2008

Soap Box

Here’s an interesting one for future enthusiasts of the game, Trivial Pursuits. What was the news that the unfortunate government adviser, Jo Moore, was trying to bury on 9/11?
Well, it was an announcement on council member allowances..
The issue still has the potential to hurt, with a range of council by-elections – most notably in Lambeth –  being fought by opposition parties on the slogan of ‘greedy councillors’.
Even the highest-paid council leader receives less than a backbench MP, and almost all councillors of working age are severely out of pocket during their time as councillors. It’s the equivalent of airlines claiming that their rivals have unsafe planes that will crash. All that happens is that people stop trusting all airlines – and for planes, read all councillors. It is a zero-sum game, with the outcome that only the rich and retired will have the opportunity to serve as councillors.
There may be an alternative that more thoughtful councils might want to pursue.
Governance in the modern age has many faces, and a range of organisations in the public sector now pay allowances of varying descriptions to those who are appointed.
It would be an interesting exercise to ‘map out’ these allowances across the range of organisations in a council area for wider public debate.
A recent analysis of news stories indicates some interesting examples of allowance stories, including:
l the appointed chairman of a regional development agency who spent more than £40,000 in taxis in a year
l the appointed chairman of an NHS trust with an increase in allowance from £20,000 to £50,000 for a three-day week.
Why don’t we ask the public how they would like the available funds for ‘governance’ to be spent locally? I think we might find there is more support for the elected compared to the appointed than we think.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Project Support Officers

Durham County Council
Grade 10 £38,220 - £41,771
Two exciting Project Support Officer – SEND opportunities have arisen within our Home to School Transport team. One role is permanent and the other a Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Cleaner

Durham County Council
£24,796 pro rata
Cleaner Grade 1 £24,796 pro rata 12.5 hours per week, whole time Permanent Required as soon as possible The children, staff, and governors of Chester Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Class Teacher

Durham County Council
£37,101 - £45,352
Class Teacher  M3-M6 £37,101 - £45,352 Full Time, Whole Time Temporary – required to cover maternity leave from Monday 5th January 2026 until the date Newton Aycliffe
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Lunchtime Supervisor

Durham County Council
£24,796 pro rata
Lunchtime Supervisor Grade 1  £24,796 pro rata 6.25 hours per week, term time only Permanent Required as soon as possible  The Governors of St Oswald Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Lunchtime Supervisor

Durham County Council
£24,796 part-time pro-rata
Lunchtime Supervisor Grade 1 £24,796 part-time pro-rata 6.25 hours per week, term time only Permanent Required from Monday 10th November (or as close Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner