Tuesday 12 October 2010

Councillors' allowances back again

Next week's Cornwall Council meeting will once again debate the issue of members' allowances. In these times of austerity etc I very much doubt that many voices will be raised in favour of an increase. The issue will then go into the long grass until the 2011/12 financial year.

I have considerable sympathy for those councillors who really do work very hard for an hourly rate which is below the minimum wage. There are some, of course, who don't work quite so hard. Here is a zero-cost suggestion: halve the number of councillors and double the allowances paid to the remainder, achieving at a stroke a more efficient, professional class of local politician.

Controversial? Certainly. And I hear some complaining that the "wrong" people would get elected. Possibly - but don't we always get the government we deserve?

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