Britcliffe Monthly - Page 2

Neil · 31-03-2006, 16:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPUGGIE J

If Peter sneaks a peak at this he will get a chuckle at you 2.

My aim in life is to make others happy

g jones · 31-03-2006, 16:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

If Labour take control of HBC in May, will you be removing the Area Councils totally as has been suggested? If so how do you intend to involve the local residents with local issues or is that not important to Labour?

Area Councils will continue and evolve into more resident focused groups.

They cost £6,000 per meeting and the chair gets £170 per meeting fee. We will reduce the budget per meeting to around £800 with NO FEE for the chair.

SPUGGIE J · 31-03-2006, 16:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by g jones

Area Councils will continue and evolve into more resident focused groups.

They cost £6,000 per meeting and the chair gets £170 per meeting fee. We will reduce the budget per meeting to around £800 with NO FEE for the chair.

Can they be as effective and will people still chair if there is no financial recompense?

Gayle · 31-03-2006, 17:16

I would still chair the meeting without the £170 - I don't think Councillors should claim all these expenses - it's part of the job. I think the basic compensation should be sufficient.

Neil · 31-03-2006, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by g jones

They cost £6,000 per meeting and the chair gets £170 per meeting fee. We will reduce the budget per meeting to around £800 with NO FEE for the chair.

Ok you got me interested.
What is it that costs £6000?
How will you do it for £800?
How many Council Officers will be made redundant by making the savings?
The Chair gets £170. What do the other Councillors and Co-Optees get?

g jones · 31-03-2006, 19:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Ok you got me interested.
What is it that costs £6000?
How will you do it for £800?
How many Council Officers will be made redundant by making the savings?
The Chair gets £170. What do the other Councillors and Co-Optees get?

What is it that costs £6000?
Staffing costs mainly. Somewhere in the region of £180,000 (last time I asked) plus add on expenses of rooms, other staff time. This produces 27 Area Council meetings. 9 Area Councils, 3 meetings per year each. Chairs get £500 per year for the 3 meetings. Other councillors get nothing (quite correctly). There are usually a couple of extra Area Councils a year so if we work on 30 meetings, £180,000. Thats £6,000 per meeting is staffing costs.

How will you do it for £800?
I need to check but roughly Labour will leave a much reduced budget to help arrange the current meetings with on the night help (tables chairs etc..) from wardens (who had begun doing that recently). £800 is the average from the revised budget and number of meetings.

How many Council Officers will be made redundant by making the savings?
I will check but most Area Council Staff.

The Chair gets £170. What do the other Councillors and Co-Optees get?
Nothing

Acrylic-bob · 01-04-2006, 05:23

That's interesting Graham. I wonder how many Area Council meetings Peter I'm-worth-every-penny Britcliffe Chairs? And what are the allowances for the other meetings that he chairs? Nice little earner, being leader of the council. At those rates it is little wonder that there is nowt left in the pot to pay for things that really need doing.

Neil · 01-04-2006, 05:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acrylic-bob

I wonder how many Area Council meetings Peter I'm-worth-every-penny Britcliffe Chairs?

I am sure Graham will answer you but I would put my money on one. He chairs the Oswaldtwistle meeting. I don't see how he can chair any outside his own area.

Gayle · 01-04-2006, 07:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I am sure Graham will answer you but I would put my money on one. He chairs the Oswaldtwistle meeting. I don't see how he can chair any outside his own area.

I think Neil is right about the Area Council meetings, in that there are three Ossy Area Council meetings per year and it's supposed to switch between the three wards. Each ward is supposed to chair the meeting when it's in their ward so he does only chair it once a year.

Didn't we have a thread on here some time ago about Councillor expenses and who claimed what.

Neil · 01-04-2006, 07:39

Thats not what I meant Gayle. The wondering around Ossy is a recent silly idea by the Area Council. They used to be always at the Civic Theatre. Who wants to sit on kiddie chairs at a school in Knuzden? Not me again thanks. If you noticed at the one in the church near the Co-Op, Peter was still chair and only passed over for some of the meeting. I wonder who got the £170

I meant that Peter will only sit on the Ossy Area Council meetings as Graham will only sit on his own ward's Area Council.

Gayle · 01-04-2006, 07:43

Oh, sorry, slightly misunderstood - yes pretty sure he'll only do Oswaldtwistle ones.

g jones · 01-04-2006, 17:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Thats not what I meant Gayle. The wondering around Ossy is a recent silly idea by the Area Council. They used to be always at the Civic Theatre. Who wants to sit on kiddie chairs at a school in Knuzden? Not me again thanks. If you noticed at the one in the church near the Co-Op, Peter was still chair and only passed over for some of the meeting. I wonder who got the £170

I meant that Peter will only sit on the Ossy Area Council meetings as Graham will only sit on his own ward's Area Council.

The chair is nominated at the start of the year and gets £500 for the 3 meetings. However Peter won't get the alowance as chair because Council rules say you can only claim one extra special allowance (obviously he gets an extra allowance as leader).

Neil · 04-04-2006, 06:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by g jones

However Peter won't get the alowance as chair because Council rules say you can only claim one extra special allowance (obviously he gets an extra allowance as leader).

So Peter chairs the meetings for free, what a nice public spirited chap

.
Graham, does it state all this interesting allowance information and who claims what on the HBC website?

ralph · 24-04-2006, 07:01

Wardens ? PCSOs ? Whatever happened to proper police personnel ? Surely after almost 10 years in office a LABOUR GOVERNMENT could at least give us proper front line services ? Plenty of funding for troops in Iraq but nowt for frightened, intimidated old dears in Accy. Friend Jones seems willing to make feeble excuses and offer platitudes, but no real criticism of his own Party, whose Government is the real culprit.

Neil · 24-04-2006, 17:24

Ok Ralph you are obviously a Tory. Why not explain to all us Hyndburn voters what wonderful achievments the Conservative Local Council have made over the last few years and why we should vote them in again. Unless of course you would prefer to slag off all the opposition without being able to put forward a good argument for the Tories.