Forum Topic

A question for the local Labour Cllrs?

I wonder if our local Labour Councillors can confirm if a percentage of their Borough of Hounslow Cllr allowances are in fact paid to the Labour Party to prop up its funds,either directly through subscriptions or through the Association of Labour Councillors?As a Council Taxpayer,I would strongly object to a percentage of my taxes subsidising a political party I do not support.

Paul Fisher ● 6745d21 Comments

VanessaI refute your statement and am stunned by the contemptuous attitude you and your colleagues adopted at the time and that you now display. I don't know if it is worth you considering but at the time I was one of your constituents so you'll see that I was in evidence. In fact I had to make your agent aware that election material put out under your name and other Labour candidates was false. Something that I understand was not unusual across the ward. Being a resident of the estate that you and your colleagues made false and misleading statements about I would hope that you would at least recognise that I was involved and therefore was in evidence, unless of course you want to question this. As for not losing any sleep, I doubted that you ever would lose sleep over any matter no matter how important it was to anyone else, especially your constituents.

Gareth Evans ● 6716d

There is also the small matter that as I recall you were not much in evidence when all these things were going on -you are making judgements after only hearing one (biased) side of the story. But so be it, what your opinion is doesn't gve me cause for sleepless nights, life has moved on.

Vanessa Smith ● 6716d

John Although not a directive from Westminster, you could refer to a publication, titled Remuneration of Councillors in London published by London Councils as a result of the Independent Panel on the Remuneration of Councillors in London, October 2006 which is fairly recent. The publication is handy for guidelines, but is not a 'you must do' directive. As an alternative you could refer to the Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 which came into force on 1st May 2003. This act requires local authorities to establish a scheme of allowances for their members and to establish and maintain an independent remuneration panel to make recommendations to the authority about the scheme and the amounts to be paid. My understanding is that the above act which was brought in by the Labour administration, is still in place.

Gareth Evans ● 6717d

John In your opinion, does the fact that a candidate who has contested and lost an election should be barred from taking up a post within a local authority forever more?

Gareth Evans ● 6717d

VanessaTalk about people in glass houses not throwing stones. Talking of fictional tales do you recall that leaflet that went out in the names of Janet Tindall, Pat Nicholas and yourself when you were contesting an election? The leaflet about the improved windows to council properties which you and your colleagues had brought about? Only for me to highlight the fact that the windows had not yet been replaced. A classic case of yawning inefficiency I'd say. There was also the case of the meeting about the traffic barriers on the Woodlands Estate in which Councillors Pat Nicholas, Vannessa Smith and Janet Tindall were lambasted for their contempt and behaviour. The full story can be found at: http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/archive/display.var.121649.0.yawning_gap.php

Gareth Evans ● 6717d

Ruth There seems little reason for the state funding of political parties as far as Tony Blair in concerned when for a donation of a couple of million quid Tony will bestow an honour on some of the most dubious of donors. 

Gareth Evans ● 6717d

John Reference to "As a Council Taxpayer I strongly object to my taxes being used to provide political staff for Conservatives, Labour and the ICG"Assuming that the same type of funding was in place when you were a Labour councillor, did you object then? As an aside, any idea which adminstration brought this in?

Gareth Evans ● 6717d

Me neither John, I would just mention that the pavement saga of Worple Avenue still trundles on - seems to me someone who is an elected representative and who lives there too would be better occupied getting that farce sorted out, instead of listening to Officer's fictional tales that make excuses for their total inefficiency.

Vanessa Smith ● 6743d

Phil, as I have already said, isn't it your coalition partners who are making the running in looking for higher allowances in Hounslow? I don't remember any government directive on this recently.

John Connelly ● 6744d

RuthI am not trying to confuse this with the state funding of political parties, I agree that that is a different debate entirely.The concern over Labour's policy of making it compulsory for Labour councillors to donate a part of their allowance into party coffers is a reasonable one when the same Labour Party, in government, is simultaneously encouraging councils throughout the country to pay more money to elected members.  The fact that this was pointed out by the Daily Mail does not invalidate it.As for our Political Assistant, I'm sorry that John didn't agree with our choice.  If he were to join the Community Group - and I'm sure he would be welcome - this would then of course become his business and he would henceforth be able to have a say in our choice of officers and assistants.

Phil Andrews ● 6744d

you've got more chance of getting an audience with the pope!

w John Michael Atkinson ● 6744d

I don't really understand why Paul chose to raise this issue. It seems to me a little of the pot calling the kettle black. To date no one has commented that the ICG has achieved what no other group or party in Hounslow had achieved to date - namely, allowing a losing candidate in May's elections to enter the Civic Centre by the back door as a salaried political assistant. Under the rules that apply that is their right whether we agree or not. Perhaps the interests of taxpayers would be better served if this post had been paid for from ICG members' allowances?Phil, if I remember rightly it was your coalition partners - the Tories - who have reopened the debate about members' allowances in Hounslow. There was no government instruction to do so.

John Connelly ● 6745d

Nothing much to add to what Ruth says, really. I'm proud to be a Labour councillor, part of the deal is that I pay an amount to the Party to which I belong and provides campaigning resources, training etc. If the Community Group choose to fund their leaflets etc from a different source then that is a matter for their councillors and none of my business.Anyway, Paul, this was in the Daily Mail about a month ago - you can do better than that. See you Thursday and I'll bring some Thamesbank leaflets along.

Matt Harmer ● 6745d

Whether a party donation is compulsory or not is up to the membership of that party - like joining a club and abiding by the rules of that club, which those of us who are members have an opportunity to influence.  I am not seeking to demand to know what the equivalent rules are for the Tories/ICG/Lib Dems, or even John's lot (it's none of my business) - but I would assume that those members who benefit from receiving an allowance would be expected to contribute more than those members who do not. This is a party matter, and has got nothing to do with the Government.  But are you deliberately trying to confuse it with a debate about state funding of political parties? - a completely different issue as far as I am concerned.

Ruth Cadbury ● 6745d

RuthI think the issue is whether a donation to a political party from a councillor's allowance should be compulsory.  I understand that the Labour Party is insisting that in its case it should be.  As it is a Labour government which is driving through proposals to dramatically increase members' allowances - rightly or wrongly - then it is reasonable that concerns should be expressed as to whether the government is effectively seeking to subsidise the Labour Party from the public purse through the back door.A voluntary donation is of course something entirely different, but your argument about personal choice does not stand up when you have no personal choice.As regards our Political Assistant, I understand that yours had a 36-hour per week contract when she was servicing 36 councillors, and now has the same contract to service 24.  Either a PA's job should be proportionate to the number of councillors a group has or it shouldn't.  Or do you share the view of your colleague David Hughes who seems to believe that there should be one rule for the Labour Party and a different one for others?

Phil Andrews ● 6745d

Why just Labour Councillors? -  members of political parties generally support the parties they belong to financially.  Those who have been elected as local Councillors therefore receive an allowance (a personal income more akin to a salary) and are assumed to be better off as a result.  And as far as I understand it most political parties therefore ask their Councillors to contribute to local campaigning costs.  Do you not contribute to ICGs costs?  And havn't you increased this amount since you were elected?  (I don't need to know, but as a voter I would take this sort of support for granted).So Yes - as I have benefited from party support to be elected onto the Council, this entitles me to an income of c£9000. I contribute to the Labour party locally (and a small sub to ALC), and I pay a little more than other party members as a result of being a Councillor.However, I don't need to give you chapter and verse on my spend - once I receive my allowance, it's my personal income, do you expect me to tell the electorate of mine and my family's spending? Donations to charities, or campaign groups? my kids shoes? food? cinema tickets ~(do you want to know which films I've seen?) my mobile phone bill? . . . . . . . However, I do think that Council tax payers can legitimately ask whether they are getting value for money for the significant growth in spend on political assistants now that the Tory/ICG group have agreed that 6 ICG Councillors have a 4-day per week political assistant, the same hours as the Tories when they had over twice as many Cllrs to support.  The Tory and Labour groups are 4 times the size and each have a 5-day assistant.

Ruth Cadbury ● 6745d

I didn't realise that Council Tax Payers had a say in how Councillors spent their allowances. Could you itemise the way you spend yours so I can decide whether I approve or not?

Justin Harris ● 6745d

As a Council Taxpayer I strongly object to my taxes being used to provide political staff for Conservatives, Labour and the ICG.

John Connelly ● 6745d

At least Dick Turpin wore a mask, All Tony wears is a supercilious grin while thinking "you are all bloody idiots to believe anything I say", crime down, immigration is at an all time low, pensioners are well off, Oh by the way do you want to be a Peer?

Anthony OBrien ● 6745d

Me too...

Keith Iddon ● 6745d

PS.If true I want my money back!

Keith Iddon ● 6745d