Stockport's councillors received almost £1m in allowances and expenses last year.
Figures from Stockport Council reveal that £934,539.78 was paid out between all the borough’s councillors – almost £50,000 more than the year before.
Each councillor who served the full year received £9,554.52 plus extra payments for special responsibilities on council committees, contributions to pensions and claims for travel and hospitality.
Council leader Dave Goddard topped the list with £39,499.
This included a special responsibility allowance for being council leader of £28,953, £797.37 for mileage and £83 for hospitality.
After Coun Goddard those receiving the most were the 10 executive councillors, who between them received £225,824.
Coun Martin Candler, executive member for customer focus, received the largest amount of £27,823.
Next was Coun Kevin Hogg who also received more than £27,000.
Cheadle and Gatley councillor Iain Roberts, who was first elected to the council following a by-election in September 2009, received the lowest allowance of £5,954.95.
Former mayor Colin MacAlister claimed £577 in travel expenses and received a £4,678 mayor allowance, while his deputy, Coun Stuart Corris, received the £685 mayoral allowance.
Councillor Pam King, who was mayor from 2008-2009, received £4,999.65 for her mayor allowance.
Former Labour leader Peter Scott received a total of £18,293 while Tory leader Les Jones received £11,440.
Husband-and-wife teams Shan and Ben Alexander received a combined total of £39,862, while Stuart and Christine Corris received a collective sum of £26,764.44.
A council spokesman said: "Stockport Council’s constitution includes a members’ allowance scheme which sets out the allowances paid to the borough’s 63 councillors, as well as co-opted members, to enable them to carry out their duties."
Full list of councillors and the allowances received:
- ALEXANDER, Shan 20,709.84
- ALEXANDER, Ben 19,152.53
- BAGNALL, Brian 9,582.13
- BAILEY, Sheila 9,584.38
- BAKER, Chris 16,565.19
- BELLIS, Paul 16,203.67
- BISPHAM, Andrew 16,406.95
- BLACKBURN, Christopher 19,513.73
- BODSWORTH, Stuart 27,485.46
- BREEN, Owen 10,914.05
- BRETT, Walter 9,583.93
- BURNS, Peter 11,774.86
- CANDLER, Martin 27,823.86
- CLAY, Maggie 225.85 (died in service)
- COATON, Richard 10,914.05
- CORRIS, Christine 13,560.77
- CORRIS, Stuart 13,203.67
- DERBYSHIRE, Sue 25,842.77
- DRIVER, Roy 15,214.31
- FOSTER, Colin 13,922.44
- FOSTER-GRIME, Helen 19,416.38
- GODDARD, David 39,499.56
- GORDON, Christopher 17,143.86
- GRAHAM, Anne, 9,582.13
- GRICE, Lenny 19,160.26
- GRUNDY, Thomas 9,582.13
- HARDING, Philip 9,599.73
- HOGG, Kevin 27,447.74
- HOLT, Linda 9,579.76
- HUMPHREYS, Sylvia 9,582.13
- HUMPHREYS, Jennifer 17,132.32
- HUMPHRIES, Doreen Stella 9,582.13
- INGHAM, Susan 15,323.25
- JONES, Les 11,440.61
- JONES, Jackie 9,859.65
- JONES, Mick 9,579.76
- KING, Pam 15,913.70
- LECK, John 9,528.13
- LEES, Hazel 13,361.05
- LLOYD, Syd 9,582.13
- MACALISTER, Colin 14,837.86
- MCGEE, Thomas 17,132.32
- MCLAY, Margaret 10,031.68
- MEIKLE, Wendy 16,822.02
- MILLARD, Brian 5, 078.31 (death in service)
- MURPHY, Christopher 11,544.21
- O'NEILL, Anthony 9,582.13
- ORELL, Wendy 7,165.89
- OWEN, David 1,795.82 (death in service)
- PANTALL, John 24,097.86
- PORGESS, Paul 9,709.09
- ROBERTS, Iain 5,954.95
- SCOTT, Peter 18,293.25
- SMITH, John 23,268.04
- SMITH, Anne 12,594.86
- SOMEKH, June 13,604.43
- VERDEILLE, Andrew 10,911.35
- WALSH, Maureen 9,582.13
- WELDON, Mark 24,100.56
- WHITE, David 26,346.47
- WHITEHEAD, Derek 9,603.73
- WILSON, Michael 14,442.32
- WILSON, David 6,498.10
- WRIGHT, Craig 10,914.05
- WYATT, Suzanne 9,582.13
Comments
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In Sockport, Coun seems a popular christian name for councillors. I wonder if Cllr Shan Alexander is related to Cllr Ben Alexander? They seem to have similar spending habits.
Maybe you need fewer councillors?
My take on this, as the councillor who took the lowest allowance last year, is at http://bit.ly/bfBL7N
How do they justify such remuneration?
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It is nice to see, in the current economic climate, that our councillors are exercising some form of restraint regarding expenses. I was naive enough to believe they did the job out of some form of altruism. I ought to get out a little more often. It is little wonder there is no shortage of candidates for the position of councillor! Phew! MPs' expenses and now this. Is it any wonder that politicians have such low esteem with the general public?
Its Just not on. They could reduce that amount by 50%. Think of what 1/2 a million could do for Stockport!
i bet the town hall ceiling needs repairing from the champagne corks that keep hitting it!
And so the gravy train rolls on.
How can it be right that people can claim more than a family exists on in a year just on expenses? If i were to ask my employers to cover my expenses, bus fares lunches clothes to go to work in etc they would laugh at me. the vast majority of us who try to survive without taxpayers money would be more than happy enough to pay our own expenses out of the vastly inflated wages that these people are paid and still think orselves lucky to have a safe job can you imagine getting 26 grand just for your expenses? no neither can i the sooner these people are brought down to earth the better.
Last time I looked at the Council's website Councillor Iain Roberts hadn't declared his interests, which he is legally bound to do. I don't think he should take the high moral ground here.
Sheila
Thank you Stockport Express for bringing this information to the Public .Perhaps you could draw Public attention to the cost of all Greater Manchester Councillors, about £10 million I suspect just for allowances and expenses! Also how many Council Chief executives, Treasurers,Directors of Education.Is it any wonder this country has such high Council Tax, when it takes so many departments to run each city.
Now we know why the service the Public recieve is not as good, as it should be.
Central Government Start Cutting!
Stockport Council paid £23,107 last year for committee teas. These are free meals for council officers and councillors who attend meetings. Most of the councillors are not in employment. Why don't they have a meal before they leave home or bring sandwiches?
Also, the councillors don't pay for parking. Again, as the majority of them don't have jobs, then why don't they get the bus to the town hall?
I note from page 13 of today's Stockport Express (always a good buy), that the Leader of Stockport Council, Councillor Goddard, is set to get a further £17,000 pa if yet another board appointment is confirmed for him next month.
All that money we pay him, yet for three years he has refused to answer my questions regarding anomalies of several million pounds on a council-related issue. According to the Council's own Fraud and Irregularities policy, this shouldn't be being swept under the carpet. It makes me wonder why we pay him anything at all.