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Are you getting good value for money from councillors?
We sent West Lindsey councillors an email asking them to FULLY disclose their expenses - including receipts for food and travel.
It is an opportunity for the people who answer to you to show their human side, and give you an insight into how they are spending your Council Tax.
And ALL 15 councillors working in the Gainsborough area responded to our email, and many said they were glad to be of assistance.
Leader of the council Bernard Theobald said he had ‘no problem’ with the Standard’s request.
”I think expenses should be published and the public have a right to know, but it shouldn’t become a witch hunt,” he said. ”I think councils offer a good service and value and a lot of councillors don’t claim the expenses they should. We are in a different league to MPs.”
He added: ”The public shouldn’t confuse those who claim bona fide expenses for what they are owed, and those who just see it as a profit-making exercise.”
“It has been shown there are many MPs who claim for things they don’t need to do their job, and I think it’s a complete abuse of privilege.”
District councillors receive a basic allowance of 4,815 a year, plus a special responsibility allowance for cabinet positions and charing committees.
Set by an independent finance panel, the scheme also allows councillors to claim 80 for an overnight stay, 14 for one meal and 40p a mile covered in a car.
There were no claims for foreign travel last year and payments for councillors’ allowances are published on the council’s website every year.
The total for all 48 members’ travel and subsistence expenses for 2008/09 was just over 22,000.
But Coun Theobald said this was a relatively low amount and said he was not alone in not claiming for every mile he covers for work.
”I obviously claim more than other councillors, because as leader I have to travel to authorities in other counties, plus I live 34 miles from Gainsborough,” he said.
”With petrol at the price it currently is, 40p per mile doesn’t even cover the cost of driving and I actually lose money on expenses,” he said. ”I don’t claim for any driving I do within my electoral division as I see any work there as part of my job.”
Here are a selection of some the responses we received from councillors serving in the Gainsborough area:
Stuart Kinch, Torksey:
I think it’s shameful what MPs have done recently with their expenses, and I think the whole system should be transparent at council level too.
When I was canvassing to be a county councillor this year, the public kept telling me I had my head in the same trough as MPs.
But you can’t compare what they claim to the basic allowance a councillor gets. I am certainly not doing this for the money – it’s about serving the people in an area which I’m interested in and where I’ve lived all my life.
Mel Starkey, Gainsborough East:
I only get basic pay and would waste taxpayers’ money if I claimed extra. I'm not like an MP, claiming all sorts of things. I do all my own stuff.
Even when out visiting people with problems. I signed on to do the job so I pick up the tab wherever the customer has a problem.
Mick Tinker, Gainsborough East
I would be interested to see documented evidence of requests and comments from your readers.
Recently I was re-elected to the county council, and part of that process was to canvass the electorate to win their confidence and secure their vote.
During these days I personally received all the anger from people who believed politicians are all the same at all levels.
These were the saddest days of my political life spanning over 40 years, hearing from people who know me and were telling me they were not going to vote for me or anyone else.
They no longer had faith or trust in British democracy by their elected MPs. You can only be sorry for the electorate, failed by a select group of MPs who were only there for what they can get from the gravy train. Unfortunately, as I have seen, we are all tarnished.
Gillian Bardsley, Gainsborough North
I am quite happy for you to publish details of expenses I have claimed from WLDC as a serving councillor for the last 12 months. I hope that help in restoring faith in our system of democracy at this time.
Trevor Young, Gainsborough South West
My expense claims they are for low use car useage. I also claim 15 per month for broadband - essential for all members and it saves expenditure for the authority on postage and time.
Over the past year, I have not claimed any expenditure for meals, drinks or trains, or attended any civic functions.
I am totally against the huge amount spent by the authority annually on civic functions – which is currently 75,000 per year. I think such expenditure should be suspended and the chairman should hold civic functions without any cost to the council tax payer.
For a full run-down of expenses see our website.
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Weather for Gainsborough
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
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