Labour Campaigning Against Excessive Councillor Allowances

The Labour Party in Northampton South is disappointed, as are many others, by the self-interested decision of the Liberal Democrats at the Borough Council to increase their allowances, at a time of global financial crisis, public sector pay restraint, and worrying financial projections for their own Council budget for 2009/10.

We are particularly critical of Councillor Tony Woods' massive personal increase which, in our opinion, cannot possibly be justified.

We are also unimpressed by the plans to pay the increases into 'charitable trusts', at the option of the councillors concerned. That money still comes out of the (sorely tested) public purse and is therefore unavailable for Council services.

In short, we are quite unable to understand how the councillors' decision will improve the difficult financial situation of the Borough Council for which they are ultimately responsible.

In the light of widespread public criticism and ridicule for their decision to go ahead with the planned increases, we call upon the Lib Dems to come to their senses and leave that money in public coffers, not private trouser pockets.