Tories criticised for large cabinet
NEWLY-elected Tories at Notts County Council have been criticised for changes which could add £168,000 to the cabinet wage bill.
The new administration – which has pledged to run the authority in a business-like manner – has appointed ten cabinet members and five deputy portfolio holders.
Under Labour control, it had nine cabinet members and three deputies.
Full cabinet members receive an extra £21,000 annual allowance while deputies draw an extra £10,500.
Under these figures over a four-year term – which the group is set to serve until the next election – the Tories are potentially adding £168,000 to the council's executive bill.
The group says the additional roles are for the "interim period" until it gets government permission to change the system from cabinet to committees. But there remains no guarantee the system will be changed – despite Tory MPs looking to introduce it if they win the next general election.
Liberal Democrats have criticised the creation of new posts, and called for the deputies to not claim their extra allowances while large-scale redundancies are taking place across the country.
Lib Dem leader Councillor Jason Zadrozny said: "People are worrying about their jobs. The leader talked very admirably about being prudent with the public purse. It does not seem that careful, then, to create an extra £168,000 worth of posts. It is not the time. Hopefully, it is not a start of what's to come."
Coun Zadrozny said former Lib Dem deputy portfolio holders at Ashfield District Council carried out added responsibilities without extra expense. He said he hoped the Conservatives might consider this.
Labour leader Councillor Alan Rhodes said: "If we are looking at cuts and they are going to increase their allowances, that's going to be something we are critical about."
Councillor Kay Cutts, leader of Notts County Council, said: "The extra deputy cabinet positions have been created for the interim to enable us to carry out our plans effectively.
"The new positions will allow us to give the necessary attention to important areas such as the environment and transport and highways.
"The increased cost of extra deputy cabinet members is £43,000 per year for this interim period, which we feel represents a relatively small cost to enable us to refocus the work of the council and involve more elected members in the decision-making process.
"Councillors' expenses are being independently reviewed by the Independent Remuneration Panel and we are committed to following their recommendations, due in September."
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by Mr B J Mann, Nottingham
Thursday, September 03 2009, 12:15PM
“In responding to an article about the new Tory County Council administration appointing ten cabinet members and five deputy portfolio holders where Labour had nine cabinet members and three deputies (by my reckoning that's one extra full member and two extra deputies, three in total) Broxtowe (presumably Labour) Councillor Frank Prince wrote:
"Three extra cabinet members at £21,000 each plus five deputy portfolio holders costing £10,500 each seems well over the top." (Over the top, Letters, September 02)
Is he getting confused? Or just employing the typical Brownian trick of double counting?
And he obviously wrote that before he learned that they had improved the bus service by a dozen extra routes and a much needed night route and still made a £400,000 saving.
Which would pay for the extra Cabinet costs several times over even if they were maintained for the full term.
However, if he'd read the full article, he would have learned that the extra Cabinet Members are an interim measure while they try to get rid of the (untransparent and undemocratic) Labour Cabinet system.
So when he with a question about the function of deputy cabinet members and a reminder that they have (inherited) one of the highest council tax rates in the UK: he should be directing that to his colleagues from the former Labour administration.
Or would that not be scoring an unwarranted erroneous cheap political point?
.”
by Observer., Nottingham.
Thursday, July 02 2009, 9:07PM
“If spending an additional £43K a year on Cabinet positions improves overall efficiency and economics, then I am a keen supporter of Ms. Cutts policies, and administration.
Unlike many other postees, I am prepared to give her time to deliver her good intentions.
Finally, I will formulate my personal opinion, based upon analysing the facts, NOT suposition!!.....
I have not forgotten the many miserable and costly years, of a Labour Administration at County Hall.”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 6:56PM
“David Carlton, I had forgotten that. That just makes it worse then.”
by Officer, The Basement
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 6:51PM
“An absoloute joke. Watch out for some serious cuts in the next few months that will cause many job losses and withdrawel of important local services. Oh, and ask them how much they've spent already on refurbishing the Members corridor...”
by David Carlton, Nottingham
Wednesday, July 01 2009, 6:18PM
“David ¿ I think that you are being too kind to them. This is an extra 42K in day 1 or thereabouts. I see that several of the posts are going to prospective parliamentary candidates. Where these people elected to the Council? The whole debacle does rather stick in the throat given the attitude that the new council is taking towards the tram.”