Dear Sir,
I refer to Cllr. Chandran’s “Notice of Motion” published in last week’s Newton News and to the Editor’s reference to this as a “political conundrum”.
Can the Town Council answer one simple question? If the Independent Remuneration Panel recommended an increase for Councillors at their Larger Local Councils Forum on 22nd November 2018, why was this not debated at the Policy and Resources Committee held on 23rd January 2019?
I’m sure that the Labour/ Momentum controlled Town Council will say that they required time to consult the electorate. Have you been consulted?
Thank God for independent Councillors! They are worth their weight in gold.
It is my view that Party Politics have no place in local Parish/Town Councils; nor is there any need for Councillors to be paid allowances. Also, come election time the ‘sitting’ Councillor has his allowances at his disposal to spend on leaflets so as to get re-elected!
It is therefore undemocratic that a ‘sitting’ Councillor should have a financial advantage over a challenger, at the Taxpayer’s expense!
Every week the Newton News is packed full of articles about Sport Clubs /Teams, Community Associations, Charities and the like, which are all kept going by the selfless efforts of unpaid volunteers. Not only do these volunteers spend time in support of their chosen club or society, but they also have to spend time on fundraising to keep them in existence!
I trust that, before voting on the ‘abolition of expenses’ issue, Councillors will consult with the Council Tax payers.
Perhaps, next year’s allowances could be spent on a Referendum on the matter. However, there is a problem with this suggestion. If the majority Labour/Momentum Councillors did not like the result they would either, ignore it, or call for a re-run.
Yours sincerely,
Alastair P.G. Welsh