ESSEX: County councillors climb aboard the gravy train
ESSEX county councillors scoffed £7,000 worth of biscuits at taxpayers' expense, the Chronicle can reveal.
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Essex Gravy Train333
Taxpayers also picked up the bill as local politicians munched through more than £41,000 worth of free lunches washed down with £15,000 of coffee in a year.
The shocking figures emerged as councillors voted to keep their members' dining area and also increase their expenses by around £130,000 – 8.3 per cent – to £1.6 million.
Meanwhile, the council – which spends £2billion a year – is having to cut jobs and trim back-office services to the tune of £300million over three years.
On Tuesday, union chiefs at Essex County Council said they had seen a secret hit list to axe 85 jobs to pay for performance-related pay, start a two-year pay freeze, stop bonuses for lowest paid employees, trim working hours from 37 to 36 or 35 hours a week, and stop sick pay for the first three days.
An independent review into councillors' allowances, chaired by Sir Rodney Brooke, had recommended scrapping the private dining area where members get free coffee, soft drinks and crisps from vending machines and even free lunches and dinners delivered from the public/staff restaurant in County Hall, Chelmsford.
But councillors voted unanimously against scrapping the restaurant gravy train, which cost £64,000 in the 2008/09 financial year, and agreed instead that it should be 'reviewed'.
At the same time they approved the rise in their allowances – also recommended in the independent review – but promised to approve no further hikes before 2013.
In his report Sir Rodney, a former chair of the national Social Care Council, said expenses must be more "transparent than ever about what can or cannot be claimed, and be justifiable to a public which has become cynical about the issue generally."
He added: "To help counteract public suspicion over the payment of allowances there is a need for greater transparency around what members are doing.
"The Panel is recommending that in line with other councils Essex members should prepare an annual statement which highlights their achievements and activities throughout the year."
Sue Gainey of the union Unison, which represents some of the 30,000 Essex County Council staff, told the Chronicle: "Our wages and salaries have been frozen and we probably expect the government to do the same for the foreseeable future.
"I think the same caterers run the county restaurant and the private members dining area, but I don't think they get toad-in-the-hole like we do, they get something special.
"They really should have frozen their allowances and shown that we really are 'all in this together'."
Even the councillors were stunned by the restaurant figures. Springfield county councillor, Mike Mackrory, said: “I have never eaten biscuits in the members’ area but they are in cellophane catering packs of two. “Quite ordinary biscuits I think. It is unbelievable that my colleagues could have eaten that many in a year. There is still a lot of inconsistency over expenses in and between councils.”
The lobby group the Taxpayers Alliance said: "It is appalling that any local authority should be considering raising expenses at a time when so many jobs will be on the line and people are having salaries frozen or reduced to keep their livelihoods.
"The free lunches and coffee and biscuits leave us speechless.
"These are the sorts of things that are nice to have, but even in good times should be controlled; in bad times they should be the first to go.
"We know of one police force that got rid of free drinks and biscuits and saved a fortune.
"Essex councillors should have been more in tune with their residents who have problems making ends meet in their daily lives and won't appreciate them on a gravy train."
Council leader, Cllr Peter Martin said: "We organised a review by an independent panel and I don't believe it is right to get an independent body to fix members' allowances and expenses and not accept the recommendations.
"On the members dining area Kent take a different view; we are reducing our costs but believe it is a valuable place for members to mix and talk together to help make the council work more efficiently.
"What we have done brings us in line with most other councils.
"The overall addition to the allowances budget is half of one per cent "Within that the independent panel recommended a 6.1 per cent increase in the basic allowance for all members and the increases for cabinet members from £27,000 to £35,000."
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| Roy Orrin, 70, a retired electrical worker from Galleywood, said: “They shouldn’t have that, no, no, no. If you are having a meeting and such you can have it, but not expecting it all the time, no, no, especially when it comes out of our pocket. “I am a pensioner and I would like to have free things but that’s not how it works.” | John Barker, 27, unemployed, from Great Baddow, said: “That’s shocking. At the end of the day, spending that much money is wrong. It could be better spent on housing. I know loads of people in housing that should have been upgraded, while they are eating all this free stuff.” | Lesley Coke, 34, a barmaid from Old Moulsham, said: “That’s ridiculous! Taxpayers’ money should be better used. “They are not even healthy snacks! They have that private restaurant – maybe they should let the old folks dine in it once a week for free.” |
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| David Donaldson, 21, a railway engineer from Moulsham Lodge, said: “They shouldn’t spend tax payers’ money it’s as simple as that. They should pay it back.” | Ben Mowdsley, 21, unemployed, from Broomfield, said: “It should go to better use than biscuits, like schools, the NHS and single mothers. “It makes me quite angry to think they spent that much on biscuits.” | Simon Capps, 42, a painter and decorator from Springfield, said: “I figure there’s probably a lot more serious corruption going on than a few biscuits.” |
14 Comments
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by George, Chelmsford
Tuesday, May 25 2010, 12:19PM
“Is the Pope actualy Catholic?
Do Sharks pee in the sea?
The Cheques in the post ?
Zand ...do you need a passport to get into your world ?
Clearly , you have been 'off world' for along time ...and yes, you are totally bonkers .”
by Zand, Chelmsford
Tuesday, May 25 2010, 8:43AM
“George - you normally pick up your gold medal after winning the race not during the warm up session.
When our councillors have saved £300m and protected services - however that works? - they could consider increasing their allowances and their perks. However, until then it is best to lead by example.
You seem to be supporting the very-modern concept of taking the rewards now and worrying about the consequences another day - and it this bloated, self-congratulatory outlook that has landed us all in the financial mess we find ourselves today.
To sum my advice to our councillors:
Lead by example
Make tough decisions from the high moral ground
Link your rewards to actual success
Never forget you are a public servant
Are these ideals relevant to our current situation? Clearly.”
by George, Chelmsford
Monday, May 24 2010, 3:20PM
“Zand are you just bonkers ...?
On the one hand you are happy with the notion of the market-driven economy and fully endorse rewards for success and recognise that the world isn¿t a fair place, but on the other hand rewarding Council Executives in the face of having to make £300m in cuts, is you consider, an unjustifiable reward?
Sorry please read what you wrote and perhaps try thinking again ???
Rewards come for both success and saving money , no ?”
by zand, Chelmsford
Monday, May 24 2010, 8:55AM
“George ¿ I am more than happy with the notion of the market-driven economy, I fully endorse rewards for success and recognise that the world isn¿t a fair place. However, small-town civil servants rewarding themselves in the face of having to make £300m in cuts is hardly justifiable rewards for the kings of industry ¿ is it? These are bureaucrats ¿ public servants ¿ given all their money by us, rewarding themselves on the nod? Hoping it wouldn't be noticed. Unfortunately it has been spotted, the timing couldn't be worse and they just don't look like part of the solution.”
by George, Chelmsford
Sunday, May 23 2010, 2:22PM
“I would think Lance is more with the program than you Zand ...The County Council is a business to a social service or job creation scheme for communist civil servants ....
The fact is if you are Management or running the show, you get rewarded ...if you are one of the worker grunts in this world, you get hired and fired ...fact of life in this free market econ we live in . Why should it ever be fair pray tell ?”
by Brentwood Council Victims, Brentwood
Sunday, May 23 2010, 12:26AM
“http://brentwood-council-victims.blogspot.com/”
by Peter, brentwood
Friday, May 21 2010, 8:42PM
“I wouldnt mind so much if they made good decisions at the end of the day, but they dont. I am still waiting for the potholes at the end of my road to be repaired and in Brentwood they have even sacked the rat catcher expecting ratepayers to pay for a private service from their own pocket. What do we pay council tax for.”
by Zand, Chelmsford
Friday, May 21 2010, 3:44PM
“Lance, I think you are missing the point somewhat. Perhaps it¿s passed you by, but the country is currently in something of a financial turmoil - clearly you live in some privileged higher strata where these mere trivialities are meaningless.
What I think the paper is pointing out, and the regular good people of our county - WHO YOU POKE FUN AT - seem to be agreeing with, is that the councillors should be leading by example.
It is clearly hypocritical to freeze the pay of thousands of workers, make hundreds redundant and cut services to the rest of us, then pat yourself on the back by voting to increase your own allowances by fairly sizeable amounts.
On top of this - your cherished councillors cherry picked their perks from the ¿independent¿ review. The best being keeping open their private free dining area which was clearly recommended to be shut - saving thousands of pounds - that¿s tax payers¿ pounds - i.e. yours and my money.
Then I have to hear the leader Peter Martin on the radio claim they were only following orders - in this case the ¿independent review¿ - which they clearly weren¿t - the restaurant proves that.
Lance - you are out of touch with what is happening to our country - as, more worryingly, are the people who are running the council. How they intend to save £300 million in expenditure is a mystery to me - but it seems clear that giving yourself more cash is not the obvious way of going about it.”
by Lance, feared by the bad, loved by the good, Essex
Friday, May 21 2010, 1:37PM
“Why is it everyone that works for Council or Public Worker aways whine and moan about what they have to do, or get, or have compared with Management or Elected Members ? The fact is these Members are often doing this job for free, or in their free time ....if you are unhappy in your job, just find another, perhaps better paid job or one with some perks and stop moaning .
BTW . Love the group photo's and their sad opinions ...How much lower can this paper go ? Hence a Barmaid, 2xunemployed, a painter, an OAP and a rail grunt . Hardly a typical sample of human life of the part of the planet :-)”
by Dai, Chelmsford
Thursday, May 20 2010, 7:53PM
“I work in a public sector organisation and pay for my own lunches, sorry sandwiches, tea and coffee. This is only fair and reasonable. How many hours of care for our most vulnerable people could have been paid for by the costs of feeding the councillors? They will be making decisions about who goes and who stays and what services will be provided. This is a serious moral issue.”