Southampton councillors’ pay row likely to flare again (From This is Hampshire)

Labour should try to understand that when we are all suffering the councillors should too.

Labour introduced huge increases well above inflation a few years ago, link the rises to inflation just like you do for the staff. Its the only fair way. Just like MP's, want to have cake and eat it.

June Bridle and her croanies are the ones that imposed 10-15% council tax increases on us. Thay want it all ways. steal from the people and keep the expenses for themselves.

Its the very poor labour councillors that have let the Conservative sharks in. That said they are no worse than the loony libs.

Lets all vote green for a few years, then we may lose some of the 1 million or so traffic lights in the City.

It's amazing how quickly people have forgotten the massive damage the likes of June Bridle did to the city finances by giving themselves all that money in the first place. It wasn't the Tories that brought it in. It was also Bridle's mob that appointed 6 people in SCC earning over £100k a year- an absolute scandal. And yet people moan when the Tories make minor cuts.

Again, much as I disagree with a lot of the policies of this administration you cannot possibly expect them to agree to inflation rises of Cllrs. pay and then propose job cuts elsewhere. I'm sorry opposition but you're not supported on this one! Near on every single person has to pull their belts in, Councillors don't often have this is their 'only' job. I think it's sensible for the time-being to 'freeze' it, but not get rid of it all together.

A freeze is a start and the Conservatives should be praised for doing the right thing. The fact that the Labour councillors are mainly concerned about lining their own pockets at our, the tax payers, expense, just sums up that shower of blood sucking leeches.

Council and all those that are supposedly running this City - it would be prudent to lay low with regard to salaries - you may feel you are at the top of the pile, but you are not - the employees are worth far more than you - you are just a spokesperson for how we all feel, and you are not fulfilling your duty. Any increase in salaries does not end there - it's all those strings attached that eat up our money. A few years ago when 10 (or so) just professional advisors were on your pay roll - I thought - Oh no'. You are all becoming an encumbrance and overspending on OUR MONEY.

goard

The Tories have overall control of Southampton City Council Chamber, they propose a pay freeze for councillor's, it's seconded, voted in favour of, the proposal is carried, job done.

A bit of non starter really for Labour councillors to complain or has the Tory press/media machine been working overtime to make them look bad?

Well if they do freeze the allowances i am sure that it will help pay for the £80k a year spin doctor !!

what a lot of people forget, is that it was the national government in the 80's that allowed this situation to happen in the first place. by changing the rules. rule on the day when we get a left wing politics back again

southy wrote:
what a lot of people forget, is that it was the national government in the 80's that allowed this situation to happen in the first place. by changing the rules. rule on the day when we get a left wing politics back again

Also what people forget is that, the deputy leader of the council (Royston Smith) and the finance portfolio holder (Jeremy Moulton) won't be on the council next year, they will be in Westminster as the cities MP's

My View from the Hill wrote:

southy wrote:
what a lot of people forget, is that it was the national government in the 80's that allowed this situation to happen in the first place. by changing the rules. rule on the day when we get a left wing politics back again

Also what people forget is that, the deputy leader of the council (Royston Smith) and the finance portfolio holder (Jeremy Moulton) won't be on the council next year, they will be in Westminster as the cities MP's

i dont know about weather if smith will be in westminster, but moulton most definitely will not make it to westminster he out of the running all ready he dont have enough support, he has less support than whitehead, the partys to watch in southampton test constituency are ukip and the socialist pary (cnwp). and at the moment the socialist party have the upper hand. bnp are going to lose there deposit.

southy wrote:

My View from the Hill wrote:

southy wrote: what a lot of people forget, is that it was the national government in the 80's that allowed this situation to happen in the first place. by changing the rules. rule on the day when we get a left wing politics back again

Also what people forget is that, the deputy leader of the council (Royston Smith) and the finance portfolio holder (Jeremy Moulton) won't be on the council next year, they will be in Westminster as the cities MP's

i dont know about weather if smith will be in westminster, but moulton most definitely will not make it to westminster he out of the running all ready he dont have enough support, he has less support than whitehead, the partys to watch in southampton test constituency are ukip and the socialist pary (cnwp). and at the moment the socialist party have the upper hand. bnp are going to lose there deposit.

I don't believe that, if you look at the make up of the council most seats in the Test area are Tory. If you look at Moulton's core vote it will come from Shirley, Freemantle, Upper Shirley, Portswood, Highfield and Lordswood. Whitehead is a spent force and he knows that. I surmise the BNP will get more votes than the CNWP as areas like Coxford and Millbrook are full of knuckle draggers with pitbulls and an armful of CSA claims.

Of course, councillors never used to get paid anything, the job was seen as an act of public service. However, this meant that those in lower paid jobs found it difficult to attend meetings in their working hours, so an attendance allowance was introduced to make up any loss of wages through attending meetings. Many, if not all councillors of working age have paid jobs and the allowance is not and never was intended to be the sole income of councillors. I read in the Echo a few months ago that even now, some councillors do not take their full allowance. A freeze is a good idea and Labour councillors should not complain. Those working in the private sector would love a pay freeze right now, sadly many are taking a pay cut! - ask your local tradesmen if business is booming for them.

moulton dont have the support of lordswood. moulton is not very well like in the area. thats why he never stood for councilor in that area. most of lordwood will vote for a socialist party has would millbrook redbridge lordshill coxford shirley warren aldermoor mount plesant if there was one to vote for.
bnp is a none starter in southampton test. how many turned up for there protest in southampton ah yes that was 4, just 4 people. they did't even get the support from bnp members edl members from out side of southampton. they know they could never do well enough here. in southampton the bnp is the smallest party going. the socialist on the other hand is all ready guarantee loads of votes from the union members living in the area, 20.000 votes for the socialist party will put them in office in southampton test, if they get 25000 votes then one of the big main 3 partys will lose there deposits. and at the moment moulten and whitehead are front runners for this to happen to them, both are not doing any thing to help them selfs in to winning an election.

ameliaS wrote:
Of course, councillors never used to get paid anything, the job was seen as an act of public service. However, this meant that those in lower paid jobs found it difficult to attend meetings in their working hours, so an attendance allowance was introduced to make up any loss of wages through attending meetings. Many, if not all councillors of working age have paid jobs and the allowance is not and never was intended to be the sole income of councillors. I read in the Echo a few months ago that even now, some councillors do not take their full allowance. A freeze is a good idea and Labour councillors should not complain. Those working in the private sector would love a pay freeze right now, sadly many are taking a pay cut! - ask your local tradesmen if business is booming for them.

nicey put ameliaS
this is also just a election stunt after the election even the torys will put up there earning in one way or another.

southy wrote:
moulton dont have the support of lordswood. moulton is not very well like in the area. thats why he never stood for councilor in that area. most of lordwood will vote for a socialist party has would millbrook redbridge lordshill coxford shirley warren aldermoor mount plesant if there was one to vote for. bnp is a none starter in southampton test. how many turned up for there protest in southampton ah yes that was 4, just 4 people. they did't even get the support from bnp members edl members from out side of southampton. they know they could never do well enough here. in southampton the bnp is the smallest party going. the socialist on the other hand is all ready guarantee loads of votes from the union members living in the area, 20.000 votes for the socialist party will put them in office in southampton test, if they get 25000 votes then one of the big main 3 partys will lose there deposits. and at the moment moulten and whitehead are front runners for this to happen to them, both are not doing any thing to help them selfs in to winning an election.

I don't know where you get this information from. Every ward bar Bargate in Test has a Tory councillor- answer that and stay fashionable.

and the reason why there a tory in most council wards in the test constituency, is because people are note voting or even registering to vote. its no good just looking at who are the councilors to under stand it a bit more you need to look at the numbers that are voting, they should all ways be increasing in numbers has the population grows. but its not the number of people voting in dropping. and the people that are stop voting are those that would vote for a left wing politics. in southampton test the number has drop down to 52% of the people able to vote, at the last election, in 1997 there was more than 20% more people voting. so you see the tory councilors are getting in by default. not because more people are voting for them, but because people are not voting.
so what has the cnwp/socialist party got to do. well all they need to do is go round all the doors and let people know that there is a party for them to vote for, and to get them to re-register to vote. with them back in voting plus the union votes and the votes taken away from the labour party, then there is a very good chance you see a socialist mp for southampton test, but like i all so said before ukip is a major player to, they been taken a few tory voters. so it just posable you might even see a ukip mp for southampton test.
to find out what is really happing you need to get on the streets go to meetings to find out what the majority of people want, and one of things that they do not want is more capitalist right wing politics.
also take into account that socialist are anti-racist, and will pick up more votes.

Jeremy Moulton is a councillor and prospective MP. I dare say he goes to more meetings and knocks on more doors than you Southy, especially as there is an election coming up. A socialist party MP for Test? What sort of a dream world do you live in?

moulton you find is a very hard man to get hold off. he at work most of the times. and i not come across him at any of the local meetings. but i have come across the tory mp for totton at a meeting here in southampton.
and why do you find that hard to belive, do you know how the old labour party use to made up from. well i tell you, the old labour party was made up from trade unionis, socialist party, the socialist working party and other left wing groups. this was before the days of neil kinnock, and they would still be there if it was't for kinnock having a left wing witch hunt, and the witch hunt is still going on to this very day. it was kinnock that started the first turn around of the labour party being left wing and making it right wing, this is your nu-labour a right wing party. and all those people that normally vote labour are now swopping over to the new party that is filling the left wing spot.
and another thing southampton test has todate return and old local family over a new local family. and moulton family only been here since 1947. if the socialist party/cnwp select this one person thats up for selection for southampton test. he be going up against a very old and well known family name, a family that can go back a high number of 100's of years in southampton and on the banks of the test. if he gets pick moulton will not stand a chance, he will even get my vote

p.s chemical and i have not voted since 1997, you see i am one of those voters that stop voting for any one because there was no one to vote for, but now there is and i will be voting again, and there are 1000's of people in southampton test thats just like me, stop voting because there was no one to vote for, but are willing to start voting again.
the worse nightmare for any capitalist.

Lone Ranger wrote:
Well if they do freeze the allowances i am sure that it will help pay for the £80k a year spin doctor !!

No criticism of Labour wanting a pay rise then? There's a shock seeing as you work for these hypocrites. A pay freeze for councillors seems like an emminently sensible idea - only the most self serving politicians would criticize the idea. Like Mr Denham who buys his lounge furniture at the taxpayer's expense. that

Would Mr Denham agree to a pay freeze?