That this Council rather than considering any Increase in the Councillors Allowance for 2019/20, does hereby abolish the Councillors Allowance altogether.
Thus saving £39,900 per year from the Council’s Revenue Budget,  and furthermore the savings of this figure for 2019/2020 already included in that Precept and  future years be reduced from the Council’s Precept at the next available opportunity . . . (2020/2021 Precept) as it is too late to reduce it for this year’s 2019/2020 Precept the Precept 2020/2021 will be reduced by 2x £39,900 = £78,800).
Proposed by Cllr Arun M Chandran, Seconded by Cllr Ken Robson.

Great Aycliffe Town Councillors Arun Chandran and Ken Robson will be  proposing at the next Policy and Resources Committee that Councillors Allowances (currently standing at £1,060 per Councillor), should be abolished altogether.
Councillor Chandran said “when I previously served on the Council in 1983 at the age of 25, up to 1996, I was unpaid and served as Deputy Leader; I was Chairman of various Committees  and very active in my attendance and activities as a Councillor. We did it to serve our community and the only reward you sought was re-election. There was never any shortage of good quality candidates for Full Elections or By-elections.   The Council introduced allowances in 2003. I stood and was elected in 2013. I have always been unhappy at the fact that Town (Parish Councillors) get an allowance.”
“Now that the Council is to consider the County Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendation to increase Parish Councillors Allowances, I think a reappraisal is required. Because the Town Council meets on an evening, and doesn’t interfere with work commitments, we tend to get good quality people coming forward to stand for the Council. Whereas County Councillors have tended to be retired, redundant or unemployed.”
“Some have argued that Councillors can be out of pocket, but some Councillors get lifts to meetings with colleagues so it costs them nothing. Those that drive have only a few miles each way and the cost is negligible.”
“Others have argued about the cost of phone calls, but every Councillor had phones before they were elected and most phone lines have unlimited local calls free or for only £5 a month, emails cost nothing!
“Some Councillors come to rely on the allowance as extra income, but by having an allowance it can effectively subsidise the cost of Council Tax and shelter them from decisions they make on Council Tax  when the rest of the community don’t have that allowance.”
“The recommendation by the Panel, of a 25% increase for Councillors, is well above the rate of inflation, and certainly more than most residents get in pay rises. At a time when Council Tax is going up, any rise in Councillors Allowances cannot be morally justified.”
“Indeed, I would like to see Councillors Allowances abolished.”
“Abolishing the Councillors Allowance would save £39,900 per year on Revenue spending and would enable us to cut the precept by that amount thus reducing the burden on Council Tax payers. I think we should  also reduce the number of Councillors”.
FACTS
Members’ Allowance Scheme History:
Scheme agreed at a special meeting of the Policy and Resources committee on 9th December 2003;
Effective date of allowances to start 1st April 2004;
Parish Basic Allowance £1,000, ref the SBC Independent Remuneration Panel;
26th January 2005 Policy and Resources:
Further report on IRP recommendations to increase Parish Basic Allowance by 2.95% with effect from 1st April 2005 and again by 2.95% from April 2006.
Parish Basic Allowance increase agreed.
From April 2006 the Parish Basic Allowance was £1,059.87p (£1,060). Reviewed again in 2008 in a report from officers as new Durham IRP would not meet. Increase not agreed.
Review of the General Members’ Allowance Scheme 2010:
Basic Allowance Scheme not increased as Council was waiting for IRP to meet.  It did not meet, therefore no increase in the Basic Allowance Scheme.
CDALC meeting held on 22nd November 2018:
The CDALC report recommended changes to Parish Council Basic Allowances and Other Allowances. This followed a meeting of the IRP to review Parish Council allowances.
Recommendation for GATC £1,330 Basic Parish Allowance per councillor.
At a larger Local Councils Forum (of the County Durham Association of Local Councils – CDALC) at Horden on 22nd November 2018 it was reported:
This would equate to a 25% rise in Councillors Allowances on Great Aycliffe Town Council which is currently £1060 per year.