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02/04/2008, 3:49 PM David Spear (Web Editor) Joined on 20/08/2003 Posts 104 Councillors vote for massive pay rises AN OVERWHELMING 48 out of 57 councillors present at a Town Hall meeting yesterday (April 1) voted in favour of giving themselves massive pay rises. A controversial report sparked lengthy debate due to its recommendations to increase councillor allowances. Members of council workers' union UNISON protested outside the council chamber to urge councillors not to accept the increases. However, the scheme was approved and changes mean the council leader will now get an extra £11,500 per year and his deputy an additional £7,248 per year. Each of the executive members will receive an increase of £6,881 and councillors' basic allowance will rise by £1,521 per year. The vote also means members will be allowed to join the Local Government Pension Scheme, which has a 17.7 percent employer's contribution rate. All these changes will cost about £813,500. Tell us what you think of the decision?    Report

02/04/2008, 5:34 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises Andrew Horler says that 'because the councillor role involves a lot more work than it used to' they need more money. So Andrew how much more work is that since you were voted in at the last election? and why did you put yourself up for the job if you thought it did not paid enough? perhaps you heard the whistle of the great local gravy train arriving and just wanted to get on it! The Weston voter will not forget what this bunch of spives have done. As someone who is Weston born and bred I am utterly ashamed of of them.

02/04/2008, 8:44 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises  Anonymous wrote: Andrew Horler says that 'because the councillor role involves a lot more work than it used to' they need more money. So Andrew how much more work is that since you were voted in at the last election? and why did you put yourself up for the job if you thought it did not paid enough? perhaps you heard the whistle of the great local gravy train arriving and just wanted to get on it! The Weston voter will not forget what this bunch of spives have done. As someone who is Weston born and bred I am utterly ashamed of of them.   rob the poor to feed the rich they need locking up i will not vote for any of them my vote go's to the bnp now

03/04/2008, 9:06 AM AllMouthNoTrousers Joined on 21/02/2008 Weston Posts 373 Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises Let's be honest, how many of us are really surprised by this move?   People who gravitate towards this kind of position of power have always done so with an ethos of looking after themselves first - I'm just surprised that it's taken them this long to quite so brazenly pump up their rates.   I look forward to the hard work and community endeavour which will make them worth all this cash...    Report

03/04/2008, 11:21 AM Mike Bell Joined on 16/08/2007 Posts 14 Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises Families in Weston and across North Somerset are struggling with the demands of a very tough financial climate, with higher mortgage bills, higher council tax bills and higher fuel bills. They can’t award themselves 50% pay rises and nor should greedy councillors. Having spent seven years as a local councillor myself, it is clear that we’ve got too many low calibre politicians running our Town Hall. The answer isn’t to pay them more, but to get rid of half of them. Years ago it was considered a privilege to stand as a councillor. Today it is just a gravy train with too many passengers. This month local groups like Weston Arts Festival, North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau and Preanes Green Resource Centre are having their grants cut by North Somerset Council. Why? Because council bosses say there isn’t enough money. What a disgrace that councillors have awarded themselves a quarter of a million pounds more in pay – and even more in pensions - when volunteers delivering key local services get the chop.    Report

03/04/2008, 4:26 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises I work under contract for the council, and have just been informed that the council has intimated to our company that pay rises of no more than 3.2% will acceptable this year. How about the kettle calling the pot black!! Our discussions and ballot are due any day now to negotiate wages for this year starting 1st April, guess what? I think we will be asking for a lot more than 3.2%, and if we don't get it, then the councillors need to be brought to task about the justification for their unbelievable pay rise. If no suitable answer is forthcoming, then I think we may see a "summer of discontent" on the streets of WSM. This pay award is an abuse of the power and position given to them by the people of Weston, they should be fully ashamed and embarrassed by this whole sorry affair.......but no doubt they will just ignore us, the common working folk, and carry on regardless. SHAME....SHAME....SHAME!!!

03/04/2008, 4:28 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises Sorry to say it, but the BNP gets my vote now too!! This country is in a shameful stae!! Sad, sad,sad!!

03/04/2008, 9:41 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises As an ex employee of the Council's recently deleted Community Development Team for 18 months, I worked with local people, often in areas of disadvantage such as Weston. Our team worked in partnership with many local people and organisations, including the Police, Voluntary Action, Housing Associations, businesses, schools and churches amongst many others. However, I have to say that although many of the councillors of the area were always very visible at events, meetings etc, I would question what some of them actually do to support local people. I would even go as far to say that one North Somerset councillor when I asked him what contact and feedback he received from the community at his surgeries, replied that he didn't actually hold community surgeries!! it also became clear that he wasn't very clued up on the main issues affecting the communities he was meant to be supporting either! Many councillors seem to have their own agendas, and I wonder whether these are in any way representative of any of the issues which are important to local people?? I strongly believe that the people of North Somerset deserve a lot more for their money. You are all paying for these people and they are supposed to be there to listen to you, actually hear what you are saying and represent your views at a higher level to make changes. I would call for a truly independent review of these councillors, not by local businessmen, as that surely cannot be called independent can it?? Perhaps a more realistic insight could be gained by using an external body such as the Audit Commission. I would personally like to see the Mercury publicly print how each individual councillor voted on this decision. People living in North Somerset have a right to know who they can trust in future. The councillors voted unanimously to delete the entire Community Development Team saving £100K - but I would say that this team was pretty good value for money in the grand scheme of things. The team consisted of 5 staff, 3 of whom worked directly at a local community level, supporting voluntary groups to grow and working with local people to tackle problems and make changes in their area. I think councillors such as David Shopland are an asset to the area, they are interested in and work for local people and do not expect to be paid ridiculous amounts of money for it. It is just a shame that North Somerset is unable to attract new councillors, but not surprising as those who are passionate about helping local people and standing up for their rights and views are trampled on by people like Ap Rees and Nigel Ashton, who seemingly hold all of the power and control over North Somerset. I would imagine it is going to be a very rough ride over the next couple of years for local people and council services and employees. These huge increases in councillor's allowances can only mean more staff losses, which will have a direct and damaging impact on all public services. Some of you may be able to be blinkered and be happy as long as your council tax is low, but step into the real world for just a moment, this is going to affect everybody in some way at some point. Very frustrating!! This is also the reason why I decided to leave North Somerset, both as an employee and local resident. Of course I wanted to stay to support the communities I grew to love, but my job was permanently deleted in February. I also feel too strongly to be able to continue to live in the area or work for an organisation which has such a disregard for it's own people and such sadistic intention to thrive at the cost of local people and providing effective essential public services.

04/04/2008, 3:21 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises Who is going to fill up the trough now that the Councillors have had their noses in it.  These people always come out with the same platitudes, ''I want to make life better for the people of Weston''. If they are so keen to be good servants of the public, let them show it, by doing it all for nothing.  No, I thought not, the money trough is too inviting.

04/04/2008, 9:42 PM Mayday Joined on 24/01/2008 Posts 32 Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises I see councillor Rees mentioned - Here is a fine example of "What's in it for me?"  The status, power and oh do make sure my helicopter scrap yard gets another planning application through - albeit beltatedly.  Involved in planning, strange how the airfield development is slow in taking off.  I suppose Mr Rees has to ensure that any building work does not affect his hobby!  Talk about conflict of interest.  This man should never be a councillor - who in their right mind would vote in such a person?  All we hear from him are words - how about some action to improve the facilities and general look of Weston!!  How about earning his pay at the old rate, never mind this latest, insult to all, pay rise he has voted for himself and his cronies...    Report

05/04/2008, 4:35 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises What else do you expect, they AWAYS look after themselves, that's wht they are in it for.

05/04/2008, 10:13 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises Most jobs these days work on performance review, I'd very much like to see who judges this council to be performing well enough to warrant these rises. It is certainly not the people who pay them.   It is rather shameful though, that only nine members of our council, a whopping 15%, seems to have any sense of ethics or conscience on an issue that seems so obviously perverse as this. I'd be very interested to know how those votes split between the members present, and to see how full their diaries will be over the next 12 months to show the extra work they are putting in.   Cllr Elfan Ap Rees said cash needed could also come from 'efficiency savings'.   Now, I may be just be one of the simple masses but when I want a treat, I often think of my own form of 'efficiency saving'. I cut back on a few little extras and save up some money and then, after a period of saving with no problems that I've had to pay the money back in to, I can justifiably buy myself that cinema ticket, meal out or new DVD. What I don't tend to do is buy the new item on the idea that I'll cut my spending to justify it later.   The buzzword 'efficiency saving' is very often misused, to save efficiently would be to direct the funding in to the needed areas of improvement (refuse and recycling collections, law and order, street cleaning, maintaining our streets and parks, local child/elderly/vulnerable persons support, housing, getting on with building projects that people actually WANT or NEED) and cut back on areas that are wasteful (improving meeting chambers, Silica, obscene pay rises), and when completely paid for the necessities then you can pay yourself for next year.   I'm not surprised the councillor is confused, I'm sure his involvement in that auspicious charity, The Helicopter Museum, lets him keep his head well in to the clouds.

06/04/2008, 11:40 AM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises I don't mean to sound like a simpleton, but what do the councilors actually do? Being aware of my lack of knowledge in this, I went to North Somersets web site in search of a job description, list of duty's or responsibility's for that position. The most I discovered was that they hold regular surgeries so the public can put forward there views and raise any local issues. Really? I've lived in Weston my whole life and have never heard of one. What, exactly, are they rewarding themselves for? In what way has there roles changed from last year to this? Can they even justify to themselves why they need this extra cash, other then 'because we can?'. Surely theres something wrong with a democratic prosess that allows people to vote for their own pay rise. I'd certainly vote for mine! oh wait, thats right, I'm not a trusted public servant playing with tax payers money. Thankfully, there were a few members of the council who had the common sense to see and appreciate that an increase in wages, coupled with job cuts would never be seen as a good thing. 'The councilor's role involves much more work then it used to.' was one excuse given to justify the pay hike. Surely, the councilor new what the job entailed before it was taken on? oh, you cant actually find out until you take it? I see. If anyone can inform me of what a councilor does, and is supposed to do, I would be very great full as I'm now genuinely curious.

06/04/2008, 9:20 PM Mayday Joined on 24/01/2008 Posts 32 Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises When you do find out I am sure most of W-s-M would like to know...  I like the comment re performance related pay - perhaps they, the councillors should be paying into the North Somerset coffers not emptying them!    Report

05/05/2008, 7:00 PM C-Frost Re: Councillors vote for massive pay rises Peter Bryant is a Freemason, I wonder if Joe Conlon is.

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