COMMENT: Credit where credit's due (From South Wales Argus)

COMMENT: Credit where credit's due

1:30pm Wednesday 8th April 2009 in News

THE Free Press commends Monmouthshire's county councillors for this week opting not to award themselves a 2.5 percent pay increase.

The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales had recommended that our elected representatives accept the extra cash, which would see their current basic allowance rise from £13,030 to around £13,355. It should be remembered that more senior councillors collect thousands more in special responsibility allowances on top of this.

Such an inflation-busting rise would undoubtedly anger council taxpayers who have seen their own bills rise again this year while the recession continues to bite. Cllr Peter Fox says taking the money would have been "wrong and immoral".

But Cllr Andrew Crump, evidently angry with his lot, said the decision was simply "bowing to media pressure".

Whether or not he is "very, very poorly paid" is of course a matter of opinon – but being a councillor is not a 'job' rather a position of community responsibility which carries some reimbursement to those who generously give their time. We imagine many in Monmouthshire facing redundancy, pay freezes or a reduction in hours would welcome such benefits.

Cllr Crump accuses newspapers such as ourselves of media hype when it comes to MPs' and AMs' expenses but recent headlines in the national media scutinising where our money goes should be welcomed.

On this occasion, we are happy to report that MCC has taken the tough decision to deny themselves a pay rise. Well done.

Some say the better option would be to remove pay powers from councillors altogether and give The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales the final say – after all, who else is able to vote on what they should earn from their employers?

Except of course that the Remuneration Panel WOULD have given councillors their pay rise after all.