Money from central government has meant no council tax rise for Sandwell people.
For the fifth year running Sandwell’s council tax has been frozen.
While the decision was made by Sandwell’s Labour council, the credit must go to the government.
The government simply offered the council money in return for the council not increasing the tax.
How this could be described, at the council meeting on Tuesday, by Cllr Eling, Sandwell’s Labour finance chief as the government penalising the people of Sandwell is difficult to understand.
But then it is also odd that the council claims to be maintaining front line services while ritualistically whingeing about cuts.
They have obviously taken the lead from the confused economics of Mr. Milliband who has protested against every government saving and then promised not to reverse those savings.
Very public spiritedly, at Tuesday’s meeting, the Labour dominated council also rejected an increase of 2.2% in councillors pay. They really do not need it.
Sandwell’s councillors pay themselves the most generous basic allowance of all the four Black Country boroughs at £10,600+p.a. each. But there are very few Labour councillors who have not been rewarded with additional so called Special Responsibility Allowances. A seat on Sandwell’s cabinet nets another £15,768. Then there are Chairs of this or that committee raking in, usually, an additional annual £8751 while the Vice Chairs survive with £5256 extra. Plum committee chairs like planning and licensing get more.
Then in each town in the borough there is a Town Lead Member and a Deputy another £8751 and £5,256 and a Town Service Improvement Chair, £8751, and deputy scrapping along with £2628 p.a. [Figures are the 2013-2014 amounts]
In addition, there are expenses to claim and rich rewards from membership of external bodies to which councillors are nominated.
Since many Labour councillors are related or married to another Sandwell councillor, the council is a game of Family Fortunes for a lot of them.
Conservative policy in Sandwell is to derail the gravy train by immediately reducing the number of councillors from 72 to 48, as has been done in other councils, and then to examine the Special Responsibility Allowances system.