Sunderland councillor pay rise a ‘slap in the face’ for Council Tax payers

Opposition Lib Dems in Sunderland have reacted with fury to a decision to agree a taxpayer-funded pay rise for councillors on Wearside.

Wearside Lib Dems have hit out after ruling Labour councillors in charge of Sunderland City Council voted through a pay rise for councillors.

At a meeting on 22 January council bosses backed a plan to increase the ‘Basic Allowance’ of £8,369 a year - which all 75 councillors receive - by inflation each and every year using the Consumer Prices Index, instead of keeping it at the current amount.

The decision was opposed by Lib Dem councillors who have reacted with fury at the pay rise at the same time as further increases in Council Tax, further cuts to local council services and further raids into City Council reserves to balance the books.

Ruling Labour councillors also voted down a Lib Dem proposal to cut the Basic Allowance for all councillors by 5%; to scrap ‘Special Responsibility Allowances’ received by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Vice-Chairs of council committees; to reduce all remaining ‘Special Responsibility Allowances’ by 20%; and to stop councillors being able to claim for food, drink and home broadband bills on expenses.

Speaking after the meeting Lib Dem Leader of the Opposition on Sunderland City Council Paul Edgeworth said:

“This is absolutely not the time for councillors to get a pay rise. Council Tax is set to rise again, council bosses are continuing to dip into reserves and the Council says it doesn’t have the money for the basics like cleaning the streets, fixing our roads and installing CCTV to keep our communities safe.

“This is a slap in the face and a total insult to hard-working Council Tax payers across the city who are horrified at being asked to pay more in return for worse local services – all at the same time as funding an undeserved pay rise for councillors.

“Instead of giving themselves a pay rise, Council bosses should do the decent thing by thinking again and adopting our plan to save £100,000s a year by cutting councillor allowances, axing so-called ‘Special Responsibility Allowances’ given for total non-jobs and stopping the ability of councillors to claim expenses for food, drink and home broadband bills.”