At the meeting on Thursday 16th November of Sefton Council at Southport Town Hall, one of the items on the agenda was the proposed increase in Councillor’s allowances.
The proposed increase was over 6% and Sefton’s Conservative Councillors all voted against the increase. Labour councillors all voted for the increase and Liberal Democrat councillors abstained.
Conservative Group Leader on Sefton Council, Mike Prendergast said,
“We cannot support an above inflation increase in allowances at a time when many hardworking families are grappling with financial difficulties of their own.
The increase in allowances sends the wrong message about where our priorities lie as a council. As Leader of the Sefton Conservative Group, I will not be taking any increases and have informed Sefton Council of this.
We had it confirmed tonight that thousands and thousands of households across Sefton have received funds from the Conservative government’s Household Support Fund. On the figures provided by Labour, approximately £12.2 million has been distributed to Sefton families and the most recent figures show around 24,500 households receiving the latest tranche of funding.
Therefore, I am hugely disappointed that all Labour councillors at tonight’s meeting voted to increase their own allowances by over 6%.
Later in the year, Labour will undoubtedly be calling for Council Tax increases, which will impact households across the borough.
Sefton residents have had to endure increases in Council Tax of around 38% since Labour have been in charge as well as many other local charges going up, such as parking charges.
Labour always say there is no money, and look to blame everything on central government.
Despite being in power in Sefton for over a decade, they steadfastly refuse to accept any responsibility for the perilous state of Sefton’s finances or any of the many failings in the borough.
However, as previously, they have managed to find the money to fund an inflation busting increase in councillor’s allowances.
Labour’s decision to increase allowances is wrong, plain and simple.”
