Expenses claim of £2m a year

9:00am Thursday 29th November 2007

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Click HERE to download a .pdf file compiled by IsItFair which shows how much each HCC councillor claimed in allowances and expenses, in 2006/7

ALMOST £2m of taxpayers' money was paid to Hampshire County Councillors last year in allowances and expenses - while residents face council tax hikes and slashed services.

The figures, produced by anti-council tax pressure group IsItFair, showed that ten of the county council's most senior members each received more than £40,000 of public cash in allowances and expenses, while two took home in excess of £50,000.

The authority has already warned taxpayers that they are proposing an above inflationary council tax rise in April of 4.9 per cent, along with the possibility of services cuts at the same time.

IsItFair say the sums paid to councillors, a total last year from Hampshire County Council of £1,346,917, are too much and question whether they represent value for money.

Those receiving the allowances are adamant Hampshire residents get a good deal for the cash, and that paying councillors is the only way to ensure a diverse and mixed council make-up.

Top of the pile in terms of the allowance payouts was New Forest Councillor Melville Kendal, who represents Lyndhurst for Hampshire County Council as well as chairing the New Forest District Council.

In total from HCC he took the £11,286 all county councillors are entitled to as their basic allowance, along with a further £14,073 as a special allowance for his role as the executive member for the environment at the authority. Cllr Kendal also claimed £5,135 in expenses for travelling costs taking his total to £30,494.

Cllr Kendal was also paid £4,934 for his role as a New Forest District councillor, along with a special £17,268 allowance for being the leader of the New Forest District Council, and £1,454 in expenses taking his district council earning to £23,656.

Combined it means former merchant banker Cllr Kendal takes home £54,150 in taxpayers' cash for his public work each year.

Speaking from his Milford on Sea home Cllr Kendal, a Conservative, defended his council pay packet and said he earned more from his business as a private client investment consultant.

He said: "I think taxpayers are getting a good deal. I give 100 per cent effort and work seven days a week. I work hard and earn a lot."

Cllr Kendal said he became a councillor because he had spare time and wanted to help his community - and not to make money. He said: "If I was paid less, I would still do it."

Cllr Kendall also said it was up to the voters to judge whether he was doing a good job, and that he felt that as the Tories were re-elected to run New Forest District Council last year in "a landslide victory", it suggested to him that his constituents were happy with his work.

He also noted that The Audit Commission had also rated the New Forest District Council as "excellent," which he felt showed he and his colleagues were providing a good service.

The IsItFair report also shows more than half (41) of the county councillors are also city or district councillors - claiming two sets of allowances and expenses.

Six county councillors are also members of Hampshire Police Authority while 19 are on the payroll of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

One of those receiving multiple allowances, and who in fact received the second highest public money payout last year, was Councillor Keith House, who is the leader of Eastleigh Borough Council, county councillor for Bursledon, Hamble and Netley, and is on the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

In total Cllr House, who was unavailable for comment, collected £50,038 made up of £17,318 from allowances and expenses at Hamp-shire County Council and a further £21,681 from Eastleigh Borough Council.

Cllr House, who works full time for local authorities, also received £8,268 from his role at the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), and £2,771 for his work on Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority bringing his combined total to £50,038. His partner, Eastleigh Borough Councillor Louise Bloom, also received more than £10,000 for her role meaning their combined total salary from taxpayers was in excess of £60,000.

Bishop's Waltham resident Mike Schofield, a leading member of IsitFair, said hard-pressed council taxpayers would be "appalled" to know how much of their money had gone on councillors' allowances and expenses.

He said: "I think councillors are paid too much. Some of these people have so many different roles and responsibilities, I don't see how they can possibly make a decent job of any of them, especially if they are running their own business too."

But Lib-Dem group leader Adrian Collett defended the current system of allowances and expenses as encouraging younger, more working-class councillors.

He said: "It is extremely difficult for anyone with full-time employment to do a good job as a county councillor. The current allowance system has enabled a more representative mix of councillors.

"When I joined the county council 20 years ago all the decisions were made by wealthy landowners and retired people."

The figures were also defended by HCC leader Cllr Ken Thornber, who last year took £43,226 and who works solely for the authority.

He said: "I do think there's value for money and that certainly the executive members work damn hard often like me working 12 or even 13 hour days. I'm not objecting to that because we all went into local government knowing it would be hard work, but I think IsItFair are frankly being unfair focussing only on the money and not the work done by councillors.

"We do need more young people as councillors, but we are simply not going to attract them into the job, bearing in mind the work we expect of them, unless they are paid appropriately."