Councillors vote on pay

SEAFORD, Newhaven and Peacehaven town councillors have been invited to have their say on how much they should be paid.

The Government is reviewing payments to councillors and has asked town and parish council members for their comments.

While county and district councillors are paid an allowance for their work town and parish council members receive nothing. A basic county councillor yearly allowance is 6,195 and a district councillors 2,292.

If town councillors decide they should be paid, tax payers could find themselves with up to 50,000 added to their council s wage bill.

Seaford Town Council members debated the issue at a meeting on Thursday last week. Speaking before the meeting the mayor, Les Whittle, said his party (Conservatives) would not be backing the proposal.

'We do not want to see the local taxpayer foot the bill for us at this stage. Not everybody in Seaford wanted a town council, and although we are making it a success we feel there is not enough money to pay for town councillors.

He added: 'Being a councillor is something we volunteered to do and were elected for, we do not think we should ask for payment.

However, the mayor did think it was time town councillors were reimbursed for expenses incurred as part of their work.

Other Seaford councillors agreed and recommended that no allowance should be paid, but that they should be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses.

The LibDem leader of Peacehaven Town Council, Tony Howard, was in favour of payment, but with an important condition.

He said: 'At Lewes District Council whether they turn up or not councillors get the money. I propose that town and parish councillors get no more than 10 per meeting, and chairmen a little bit more - but they only get it if they turn up at a meeting.

He was also keen for councils to pay their members expenses. 'I spend about 200 per year on council phone calls as well as petrol and wear and tear on my car. I think it is right that if people spend their own money they get it back.

Newhaven Town Council member Jo Lewry said expenses should be paid.

'It would not be a bad thing if the town and parish councils were recompensed, if only for expenses like postage and phone calls.

'And it could encourage younger people who had work commitments and would lose money by attending council meetings to become councillors.

Christine Swan, secretary of the Sussex Associations of Local Councils, has the job of collecting the local councils responses and sending them on to the Government.

She said: 'This is the first real change in how parish and town councils are run in 100 years. It is causing quite a lot of heart searching as a lot of parish and town councillors have always seen the work as something they do unpaid for their communities.