The recent proposals of the independent Boundary Commission are designed to implement legislation passed 5 years ago for the reduction of the number of MPs from 650 to 600.
Previous proposals were blocked by the Lib-Dems in the coalition government. It is estimated that the reduction in the number of MPs will produce a cost saving of around £62million over a full parliament.
There will be no democratic deficit. An examination of the number of legislators per country, in the 22 most populated countries in the world showed Britain possessed more parliamentary legislators than any country, apart from China.
India with a population 20x that of Britain manages with a little over half our number of legislators. The USA Congress and Senate functions with approximately one third of the number we have in both Houses of Parliament. Countries as diverse as France and Ethiopia, Germany and Bangladesh all rub along with fewer legislators than Britain.
Britain has one legislator per 40,000 people while China has one per 450,000 and the USA one per 590,000.
The case for cutting back on U K legislators nationally is clear.
The same applies in Sandwell to councillors.
In Sandwell, Conservatives have campaigned in recent elections for a reduction in the number of councillors.
The proposal is to reduce the number of councillors by one third. The plan would be to have two rather than the current three councillors elected per ward. The ratio of one councillor per 4,500 electors would result. With the creation of the new West Midlands authority, which will assume some responsibilities of local councils, there is no better time to derail the Sandwell council gravy train.
Taxpayers would save money and suffer no reduction in service. Currently, in many Sandwell wards there are “spare wheel” councillors who draw the cash and put in little effort. Frequently, these are sons or daughters, husbands or wives or “just good friends” of other Labour councillors or powerful local trade union leaders, recruited with little regard to commitment to constituents or capability. They are an unnecessary expense and dispensing with them would save a minimum of £¼ million per year. And that’s just for starters.
Sandwell Labour councillors not only pay themselves more than any other black country borough in basic wages but the vast majority enjoy earnings from posts of “special responsibility”, as chair of this or deputy chair of that. These posts which have little or no use and are designed as financial tit bits to ensure loyalty to the leadership and whichever faction of Labour currently runs Sandwell. Unsurprisingly, a number of leader Cllr Eling’s principled opponents in his leadership election have been converted to fawning admirers by such rewards. Special responsibility payments can double councillor earnings. Perhaps this is what Sandwell Labour councillors mean when they talk of redistribution of wealth.