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Peter Dolman · Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:42 am Post subject:

GTB, most parish/town councillors receive nothing for their term on their councils. They can vote to pay themselves a fixed sum but most do not.
Any expenses claimed relate solely to money they have spent on behalf of the council.

Councillors on the former district councils were paid approx £4,800pa and at county level approx £10,000. Those elected to the new unitary authority will receive approx the same as the old county council.
This should be taken in the context that you will be expected to spend a couple of days per week on council matters attending meetings or other matters. Expenses are reimbursed for items spent on genuine council matters.

Councillors with additional responsibilty will be paid more, it would be interesting to know how much Jane Scott the leader of the old county councils was paid, £40,000?

I, and others, spent 4 years on the town council and received no financial reward for doing so and submitted no claims for expensess!

We have all been appalled by the events at Westminster and with luck this will result in a change and bring about more democracy. Assuming it does we will need more people standing for election. It won't be any good if we have a different system with the same (or similar) faces.

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A lifelong Calne supporter

GTB · Bushton Bushwacker Joined: 05 Jun 2007 Posts: 2206 Status:

Thank you for that information, Peter.

It does make you wonder what is going through an MP'S head when they are claiming for items such as dog food, moat clearance, plasma televisions, etc when the lowly local councillor puts honour above greed. I think the phrase Absolute power corrupts absolutely is quite apt here.

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Biggles · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:12 pm Post subject:

Full list in a league table kinda view

seems the scottish labour ones were the worst (lib dems close second)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_pol...otal&order=desc#expensestable

rosco · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:51 pm Post subject:

Biggles · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:37 pm Post subject:

i disagree, they have their OWN parliament in Edinburgh they shouldnt even be in Westminster

rosco · Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:21 pm Post subject:

nickcordery · Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:18 am Post subject:

Any part of the UK which has its own parliament should not have MPs in Westminster and should be allowed to raise their own funds and not be subsidised by the taxpayer from the ENGLISH parliament funds.
Look at the present Government - how many come from Scotland or Wales?

As for the expenses scandal - MPs wrote the rules what more can you expect from people - how some expenses were passed beggars belief.
Now we hear that one MP was told his claim was not acceptable but continued to receive it for a further period of time!!

As for the EU - their accounts have NEVER been passed by their own Auditors - any company in that position would have been wound up ages ago.
Whistleblowers referrin to the shocking waste and possible fraud were sacked or demoted.

Peter Dolman · Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:43 am Post subject:

we are back with that old chestnut "the midlothian question" as posed by the late john smith. I did attempt to have this discussion last year but it was not a popular thread unlike now.

basically its why should scotland have its own parliament in which the english (welsh & irish) cannot vote and still be able to send MP's to westminster to vote in english matters.

the answer of course is they should not!

discuss please
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A lifelong Calne supporter

rosco · Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:07 pm Post subject: