Councillors voted to increase their pay by more than £200 last night despite a call to freeze it while the Island suffers from COVID-19.
At a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council on Wednesday, the member’s allowance scheme was passed which, following the advice of an independent remuneration panel, increases councillors basic and special responsibility allowances by 2.75%.
This means the basic allowance for all 40 Isle of Wight Councillors for 2020/21 is now £8,231 – a £220 increase from the previous financial year when councillors received £8,011. This will cost the tax payer an additional £8,800.
Councillor Debbie Andre, leader of the Island Independent Group, however, asked councillors to freeze the allowance increase. She said:
“It is totally inappropriate in this situation we are currently in to be accepting an increase.
“I know was agreed as an annual percentage increase but in light of recent times I propose we freeze the allowance.”
The move was only supported by 2 other councillors, Michael Lilley and Paul Fuller, while 6 councillors abstained from the vote — councillors Barry Downer, John Howe, John Medland, Lora Peacey-Wilcox, Ian Stephens and Shirley Smart. However, 29 councillors voted against the motion and with the majority, approved the increase.
Cllr Richard Hollis said:
“The work does not stop — valuable councillors put in a hell of a lot of work, I don’t see why they should be belittled for having a small amount of recompense for the hours and hours that they do.”
Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Dave Stewart, said:
“I would say any councillor can choose not to take any part of their allowance. I also support the raise in staff salaries as they have worked very hard during the pandemic.”
Cabinet member for strategic finance, Cllr Stuart Hutchinson, said the allowances were linked to the pay awards in the first places to take away any political debates. He said:
“We are fortunate to have an independent review panel and we ought to follow the recommendations — sometimes they will be beneficial, sometimes they won’t.”
Cllr Clare Mosdell reminded the meeting of ex-councillor Julia Baker-Smith who had had to use a foodbank while getting the allowance. She said:
“The allowances are not huge and we shouldn’t ever compare our financial circumstances to others. We shouldn’t be putting people in a position where we have to have this discussion. Bills haven’t frozen.”
Other increases were made to special allowances some councillors receive for fulfilling other roles in the council, such as being a cabinet member, chair of a committee and a leader of a group. The leader of the council receives an additional £16,462 on top of the basic allowance, deputy leader £10,289 and cabinet member £8,231.
This is an insult to all the struggling people on the Island. Let’s have the names of all those that voted for this rise. Then make sure they never get elected again. Also we should remember
that approx 15/17% of our council tax goes on pensions for council employees. It was only the other week that the council were looking to make further cuts. Where is this money coming from US.
Clare mosdell ha how the hell did she become a cllr
I wouldnt trust her with my worst enemy
Why should we work hard to pay for this bunch
So that is why we have to pay more to park our cars and the extra cost that will no doubt be going on to our council tax sack the lot of them no good time wasters
“The allowances are not huge and we shouldn’t ever compare our financial circumstances to others.”
Robin Hood would be annoyed if he actually existed.
As well as all brown envelopes they had for selling out to Asda and the rest.
Snouts in troughs. Good job they didn’t think of us who lost our jobs, and those who will not get a pay rise due to covid.
That’s a thing they do very well, not thinking of us, their employers. If this were a proper job most of them would’ve been sacked by now, as it is it’s the only job in the country you can keep blundering through at all levels, making umpteen mistakes, waste millions of pounds with no consequence. I wonder how many people will remember all their cock-ups at the ballot box and vote for change, or think ‘better the devil we know’.
Oh how subtle of them, even though normal people struggled to pay council tax through this crisis, the council and I presume local town councillors will be giving themselves handouts as well. Still we all know that local town councillors break the rules anyway, look out for VTC birthday party at the Waterside in Ventnor,on the 2nd of October, I bet no “Rule of Six” will be followed there. We need to get rid of this corrupt council and it’s hanger-ons.
They think they are nice and safe, whilst thousands of hard-working men and women lose their jobs nationwide. The least we can do next election is show these greedy scum that it’s time for them to join the unemployed.
Wish I could give myself a pay rise!
Greedy and corrupt and do f all only concerned about lining their own pockets nothing else
They think they are nice and safe, whilst thousands of hard-working men and women lose their jobs nationwide. The least we can do next election is show these greedy scum that it’s time for them to join the unemployed.
If they had one less, which I am sure they could easily manage to mess things up still as easily without, then that one would pay for the others rise.
Worked hard during the pandemic, agreeing with all the risk assessments and guidance done by partner agencies and claiming they had an input more like. Care staff, nurses, Dr’s, delivery drivers, shop staff and many many more also worked hard, put them selves on the front line but haven’t and won’t see a pay rise of this scale if at all. The council have topped the piss take self congratulatory pat on the back with this one, not in touch with their constituents and the financial hardship being felt from this pandemic what so ever.
they happily recommend lockdowns which impoverishes the private sector staff and ruins business owners livelihoods, but continue to rinse more money themselves – they need this matter discussing in person – selfish leeches.
Now there is a surprise – seems the revenue they’ll be earning from all those new yellow ‘safety’ lines they are painting everywhere is being put to a worthy cause!
What an absolute disgrace, they are incompetent and would struggle to run toy town! Action should be taken to get rid of them all, no time for those who sat on the fence knowing that they would get their pay rise.
We need a new council, half the size of the current one with greatly reduced allowances.
They should be paid on performance, but I guess they wouldn’t want to work for free!
Imagine what those at the top now earn. Imagine the expenses they claim. These people are not all honest that I do know.
We had better ensure we vote them all out next time, for can hardly do any worse.
Don’t leave it to others to vote them out, get your self to do it.
If only we could install the old clocking in and out machines. Then maybe we could see at a glance just how hard and long these hard working ?? councillors work and what there hourly rate is.
Seems fair to me….
Perhaps ice creams and bucket and spades sales were not a lucrative, least the sales shown on the books, as it appeared to be this year. That or pure greed. I wonder which it was?
Vote these greedy, selfish rubbish out, don’t expect others to do so or things will never change.
What the actual f***!!!! This lot needs kicking out. I refuse to pay my council tax.
Rename the Isle of Wight council to
Isle of p*ss takers Commity.
Dick Turpin would be ashamed too as these lot refused to wear masks.
“ tell you what let’s charge more give less and f*ck it while we are at it let’s have a pay rise for sweet fanny Adams.” This is why the crime rate for theft on the island is on the rise because people can’t afford to live. London prices but we are one of the poorest areas of the uk.
They should be ashamed but they are tori’s. empathy and morals are a sackable offence.
Absolutely discusting and moralely wrong on the highest level am sorry this should be taken to the national newspapers and who ever voted should be named and shamed. honestly they should be absolutely ashamed of them selves . this just goes to show how ignorant and self centred, uncaring they really are, any person with any dignity would offer the money elsewhere, To those who need it most as always wealth over health and in these uncertain times too. There People losing thier jobs everyday or people struggling to make ends meet this greedy pay rise could be used to help vulnerable people or reinstate vital services, not the fact they add more misery to lower income families etc by hiking the council tax and taking away valuable lifelines. They should stop trying to baffle us all with corporate bull***t and stop pleading poverty using central government funding as an excuse its easy stop wasting money on rubbish like consultantcy fees and greedy pay rises and allowances this lot are a joke and need voting out and get a council that cares about the island and its people.
Absolutely disgusting! They basically say they’ve worked so hard during the pandemic they deserve it! What about everyone else who has genuinely worked hard for no extra pay at all and those who have lost their jobs? It’s an insult to all these people. Why are we not allowed to vote whether they get a rise after all its us they are supposed to serve. They make cuts to services all over the island causing untold misery and hardship to many and increase parking charges basically killing all the towns and high streets and small shops then line their own pockets! Who the hell do they think they are?
They should put there pay rise to better use than put it in there back pockets wankers
On the one hand they state they have to cut services and jobs because of underfunding from the government,
and now they have the audacity to give themselves a pay rise ! ! !
They should be cutting the number of Councillors as well.
I bet if Lord Sugar was asked to run the Council, that’s the 1st thing he would say to them all … you’re FIRED.
There hasn’t been a decent Council since they started paying them.
Wonder how many of the people below are willing to stand as councillors as they all seem to be able to whine and moan. “If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem”
Perhaps they should donate some of the money to our volunteer services who are only a call away when people need help day and night and all for nothing
And no doubt they will rip off pensioners by increasing council tax to pay for it. Can these councillors sleep easy in their beds?
This rubbish will sleep, and well, in a super king size bed, in a fully warmed huge home. Check out where they live. It will be nowhere near the destruction they are happy to gain from as they destroy Ryde by over building on Green field sites.
Vote them OUT next time.
What? A pay rise for making such a wonderful job of the floating bridge.
Well i most certainly wont be voting for them ever again
. They are a disgrace to the human race
I have taken this information to the daily mail. Not the torigraph
£4 a week, what is all the moaning about. About the same as the winter gin allowance.
I’m going to make cuts next year I wont pay the extra council tax that will be expected to pay for there rises
They should take a cut as most people have during this pandemic, what ever the cut they will still be over paid