Tories vote for 28% pay increase

11:49am Thursday 31st January 2008

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Furious councillors have condemned Conservative plans to give Merton Council's cabinet members a 28 per cent pay rise while proposing funding cuts to social services in the borough.

At a general purposes committee meeting last week, Labour and Independent councillors tried to block a motion awarding cabinet members an additional £4,000 a year and an increase to the basic allowance of a councillor by £800.

“Amid all the other cuts being made, it’s incredible that the leader of the council has the front to come along this evening and put forward a proposal such as this."

Councillor Peter McCabe

Merton's leader David Williams defended the motion claiming the rise is endorsed by a report commissioned by all London councils.

But in response, Labour councillor Peter McCabe said: "I find it extraordinary that as we tell elderly and disabled people we can't afford to provide the same level of care as in previous years, the Tories have the nerve to propose increases of this kind.

"Amid all the other cuts being made, it's incredible that the leader of the council has the front to come along this evening and put forward a proposal such as this. He needs to get his snout out of the trough and start listening to residents.

"I know the Oscars aren't going ahead this year (sic) but if there were an award for brass neck it should go to Councillor Williams."

The whole council will now vote on the pay increases after the proposal was passed using the Conservative's casting vote.

And Councillor Rod Scott, Conservative chairman said: "The idea of this increase is to motivate people into becoming a councillor.

"It is a question of the future of local democracy. We need to widen the pool from which councillors are drawn."

Councillor David Williams added: "What is proposed here is quite modest. It's a comparatively small sum of money."

The pay increase comes in the wake of proposed cuts to the social services budget, including the closure of All Saints' day centre, the only service in the borough to cater for disabled adults.