Councillors' allowances

April 19, 2006

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THE amount of money it costs Stockport council tax payers to fund their 63 councillors has been revealed.

New figures just released by the council show that councillors from all parties claimed an average of £12,682 for allowances during the 2005/2006 financial year.

The statistics show that a total of £798,984 was spent with the top claimer being the new council leader Coun Brian Millard who claimed £31,436.

Husband-and-wife teams including Mayor of Stockport Coun Shan Alexander and husband Ben claimed a total of £26,130 (£502), and Christine and Stuart Corris claimed a collective sum of £19,549.25 (£375).

The allowances per councillor are detailed in the table below.

Councillors expenses/gross pay - 2005/6 (£)

Councillor	Payment
Abrams, John Frederick	£12,215.57
Alexander, Ben	£14,444.83
Alexander, Shan	£11,686.62
Auger, Lesley Ann	£8,727.00
Bagnall, Brian	£8,727.00
Bailey, Sheila	£8,727.00
Baker, Christopher	£9,299.98
Bellis, Paul	£8,727.00
Bispham, Andrew	£12,958.20
Bodsworth, Stuart	£15,692.78
Brett, Walter	£8,727.00
Burns, Peter	£10,788.01
Candler, Martin	£22,147.56
Carter, Paul	£19,526.97
Clay, Margaret	£21,011.25
Coaton, Richard	£8,727.00
Corris, Christine	£10,208.04
Corris, Stuart	£9,341.21
Derbyshire, Susan	£21,949.68
Driver, Roy	£12,343.99
Foster, Colin	£15,715.88
Foulkes, David	£7,527.00
Goddard, David	£22,097.43
Gordon, Christopher	£15,258.95
Graham, Anne	£8,727.00
Grundy, Thomas	£9,341.21
Harding, Philip	£8,727.00
Hogg, Kevin	£16,131.60
Holt, Kenneth	£8,727.00
Humphreys, Jennifer	£12,779.08
Humphreys, Sylvia	£8,727.00
Humphries, Doreen	£8,727.00
Hunter, Mark	£13,448.87
Johnson, Anthony	£8,769.61
Jones, Brendon	£14,597.63
Jones, Jackie	£8,141.21
Jones, Les	£9,219.48
Kidd, Joan	£8,727.00
King, Pamela	£21,949.68
Leck, Bryan	£14,402.88
Lees, Hazel	£21,949.68
Macalister, Colin	£9,878.65
Mclay, Margaret	£9,341.21
Meikle, Wendy	£12,384.59
Millard, Brian	£31,436.37
Murphy, Christopher	£12,343.99
O'neill, Anthony	£11,263.99
Owen, David	£8,727.00
Pantall, John	£21,949.68
Porgess, Paul	£9,082.90
Pyle, Tom Eric	£8,727.00
Roberts-Jones, David	£8,727.00
Rowles, Maureen	£8,727.00
Scott, Peter	£15,508.91
Shaw, Ingrid	£12,164.87
Somnekh, June	£12,502.65
Walsh, Maureen	£11,176.92
Weaver, Roy	£9,299.98
Weldon, Mark	£21,949.68
White, David	£15,658.48
Whitehead, Derek	£9,944.89
Wilson, Michael	£9,793.07
Wyatt, Suzanne	£8,727.00

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Showing comments 1 to 23 and replies | View All

Big K, Stockport (15/04/2005 at 15:52)

These figures are a disgrace. The 'job' used to be an honour to perform.
The establishments on the 'sex map' earn their money more honestly!

Council Tax Payer, Stockport (16/04/2005 at 00:31)

Some of those allowances taken are really "out of this world" and a pension to go with it!

I agree with Big K, in days gone by, councillors were motivated by a sincere desire to serve the community, like so many other voluntary groups.

Would any councillor declare that they would not stand for re election, if the allowances were not so generous.

The allowances are approved by the government, but do they really need to accept so much?

Peter Rose, Western Australia (19/04/2005 at 17:51)

I was very interested in your figures. I am a Councillor at Stirling. WA's largest local govt.i receive $6,000-00 a year plus $2,000 communication allowance and 65c a Km for fuel. I receive requests every day for onsite meetings we have at least 3 meetings a week I spend around 15 hours a week on Council work. We get no other expenses and my ward has 17,000 residents for 2 Councillors. I would like to know what the expenses are paid for? interested.

Big K, Stockport (21/04/2005 at 12:56)

to Council Tax Payer - Thanks for supporting my view that being elected to the job should be honour enough.

to Peter - I think a lot of people here would like to know what the expenses are for. I've tried to get access to a breakdown of the figures but it's "subject to the Data Protection Act" and "privileged information". So much for transparency in government!

Council Tax Payer, Stockport (22/04/2005 at 10:24)

I am very concerned about Big K's comments "I've tried to get access to a breakdown of the figures but it's "subject to the Data Protection Act" and "privileged information". So much for transparency in government! "

How can it be that elected representatives should be covered by the cloak of the data protection act "privileged information". Is this not our money paid for by council tax and other taxation. Openess and frankness should be the aim at all times.

Can the "Express" dig a little deeper for us on this.

Big K, Stockport (22/04/2005 at 16:05)

to - Council Tax Payer. The nearest you'll get to detail is the list that the Express published. We don't even know how much of each Members money is expenses and how much is 'earnings' (another euphemism). I asked the District Auditor at the last publication to look into it. I'm still waiting! Wonder how much the DA 'earns'?

Big K, Stockport (28/04/2005 at 14:20)

Come'on Councillors - Council Tax Payer; Peter Rose, myself and all your constituents want to know what YOU get. Don't be shrinking violets.

Council Tax Payer, Stockport (29/04/2005 at 22:21)

Would the taxman have the privelidge of verifying councillor's expenses?

Council Tax Payer, Stockport (29/04/2005 at 22:49)

Councillors are people who probably have an inner desire to be successful and be top dog perhaps in their own establishment, but do not have the true ability. Its very easy wasting time talking over a board table and producing a six weekly or whatever it is article, debating this or that why can't full time council employees do the same. So back to these reimbursements I wonder how many of them would survive if they had to generate the revenue like a professional business person!!!

Big K, Stockport (04/05/2005 at 15:54)

Well, Council Tax Payer, looks like our representatives are shrinking violets as predicted.

To answer your question about the taxman. The answer is yes except it probably won't happen.

They're too busy following the chap on a minimum wage to make sure he's not earning a fiver for shifting a wardrobe!

To answer your other point - no - councillors are not good at managing money. That's why they spend more and more of your money year upon year!

Paul, Stockport (07/05/2005 at 14:33)

I suspect that this is the tip of the iceberg. Local councillors, MPs and Euro MPs no wonder we pay so much tax.

dave, stockport (10/05/2005 at 13:57)

The real horror is that the fattest of these fat cat couples is supposed to be Labour. But then some, Mr and Mrs Harding, are more equal than others.

BigK, Stockport (11/05/2005 at 14:03)

Dave of Stockport is wrong if he's talking monetarily about Mr & Mrs Harding being the fattest cats. That honour clearly belongs to Cllr Hunter who clearly 'earned' more on his own than the couples on the gravy train. However, I guess he's not talking monetarily! Oh! and Stockport Express - why do we refer to them as 'earnings'?

Ratepayer, Stockport (25/07/2005 at 23:33)

Will Mark Hunter MP, still continue to claim his council allowances at the same time as his MP'S Salary. Will he enjoy a pension from his time as councillor in addition to his pension as an MP. Would the ratepayers of Stockport be better off if we stood the cost of an election now rather than pay his allowances till the end of the current electoral year. At least if he went now he could give all his time to the good citizens of Cheadle and perhaps the folks of Marple might elect a new councillor to get on with the job

BigK, Stockport (26/07/2005 at 15:56)

Ratepayer, Stockport.

Answers to your questions are:
Probably;
Most Certainly;
No, we don't want another Patsy Calton spend.

d, brinnington (24/08/2005 at 21:54)

why are we slating the labour couples because lets face it cllr hunter and cllr goddard earn more than them put together lets hope there patners dont get in on there act

Ferrari, Stockport (23/11/2005 at 10:24)

That's ok, as long as they are not wasting our council taxes on trivial things like parks, pavements, housing, old folks homes etc!

Intrigued, stockport (01/01/2006 at 19:54)

Any idea what percentage rise our councillors have received over the last few years?

ian j kennedy, blackburn (04/02/2006 at 11:20)

These figures just show another political gravy train I am so glad I don't contribute to them. Although Blackburn seems to have the same problem.

flabbergasted, Stockport (11/02/2006 at 09:48)

That totals more than 760,000 pounds JUST for expenses!

tony, hazel grove (23/08/2006 at 12:06)

Im glad they have the money..my daughter fell off a park swing in Hazel Grove last year, the fall onto the concrete resulted in a fractured skull and a 3 day stay in hospital... we asked the local council to replace the concrete surfaced play area with a safe "rubber" type...their response was " not enough funds" ..well now ive seen these figures im sure there will be some lawyers interested in hadling my legal case for compensation against SMBC...

Eileen campbell, turkey(from romiley) (07/11/2006 at 17:36)

While it is good that you have pointed out how much is spent, but without the full details on what the money was spent on and why, it is hard to decide if they are value for money. Would it be possible to print the full details. That way we can make a balanced judgement.....

William J Knowles, 77 Celtic St SK1 4EQ (01/02/2007 at 01:33)

No Wander I Can Not Get A Grant For Central Heating or Double Glazeing.I Was Told That The Council Was Overspent ,Now I See Why
bill

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