Allowances hike "appalling" says Labour member

NEWLY elected county councillors have voted for an eight per cent hike in their allowances.

The Conservatives, who now hold 74 of Kent County Council’s 84 seats, voted unanimously for the raise in cash councillors receive for the work they do.

Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors all voted against the plans, saying the public should be consulted.

Bill Hayton, Tory KCC member for Broadstairs and Sir Moses Montefiore seconded the motion at the meeting. As vice-chairman of the council he will receive an extra £7,750 on top of the £13,290 basic allowance all councillors will receive.

Cllr Hayton said: “This was not something councillors came up with. It comes from the independent remuneration panel, who are members of the public who take all of these things into consideration.

“We haven’t received an increase in four years, and it in some of those years inflation has been at two and a half per cent. This won’t be changed again for another four years, so it only works out as a two per cent increase per year.”

He said being a county councillor, especially a member of the cabinet, was now a full-time job, and the money was needed to encourage young talent into local politics.

KCC leader Paul Carter will now get more than £44,000 for his role as council leader, on top of the £13,000 basic allowance, with cabinet members bagging more than £28,000 each. The increases mean KCC now spends more than £1,500,000 a year on councillors’ pay.

Members can also claim expenses for travel, phone calls, lunch and childcare out of the taxpayers’ purse.

Ramsgate’s Labour councillor Liz Green, voted against the proposal. She said: “It’s appalling. At a time when most residents in Thanet would have been lucky to get a one per cent increase in their pay if they keep their jobs, it’s completely wrong that Kent Tories have voted this through.

“It’s even more cynical that they have done it just after the election.”