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No vote to allowance cuts
Central Beds councillors reject recommendation for lower allowances
Senior cabinet members at Central Beds Council have been slammed after voting not to cut their allowances in a bid to save cash.
The independent renumeration panel had suggested that allowances of certain councillors, including council leader Tricia Turner, should be reduced in the coming year's budget.
But Conservative council members voted to freeze allowances, instead of making the cuts.
And as services are being cut back in a bid to balance the books of the council, which is millions of pounds in debt, Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Blame branded the decision 'appalling'.
But Councillor Tricia Turner hit back, saying the councillors 'absolutely earned' their allowances for coping with a 'tremendous' workload.
Mr Blaine said: "At a time when unprecedented cuts are being made in services and the council tax rise will be one of the highest in the country, this is a quite appalling decision.
"Accordingly, all the non-Conservative members, both Liberal Democrat and the one Independent took the unusual course of demanding a recorded vote and voted solidly against the motion."
Leader of the council, Tricia Turner, said: "The special responsibility allowance for executive members was agreed by the independent remuneration panel last year.
"I have to say that the work has not reduced since then and I regularly work 12 hours a day.
"The workload is tremendous and I think that my cabinet colleagues absolutely earn their allowances."
And Mrs Turner added that tax payers would see their bills start to drop in the future thanks to cutbacks in the number of officers working for the council.
For the full story see the March 5 edition of the Biggleswade Chronicle.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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