Monday 9 August 2010

Allowancegate : How many people in Barnet get to set the level of their own pay rise

As regular readers will know, the Leader of Barnet Council Lynne Hillan has awarded herself a whopping great pay rise this year. Who pays for this? We do. Do we get a say in this? Nope, they kept the scheme quiet until after the election. Mind you Lynne Hillan doesn't only get to decide her own payrise. She also gets to decide the payrise for her mates in the cabinet, who have to OK it. Guess what? They all got a payrise as well. Then there's her "lesser mates" who are the ordinary Tory councillors. They got a pay cut, but Lynne told them if they didn't back it, they'd get an even bigger cut, because she'd strip them of their jobs such as committee chairs (a la Kate Salinger) and they'd get even less. She knew there would be plenty of Barry Evangeli style toadies, just waiting to take the jobs.

Then there are the senior executives of Barnet Council, who she needs to keep sweet. They've all had massive pay rises in the last year. Now you might think that a job at Barnet Council like a winning lottery ticket. Well it is for the elite. Sadly for the average worker, the person who mends your street or wipes your grannies bum when she becomes incontinent, a different set of rules apply. Budgets are being challenged, overtime cut, jobs lost and services withrdrawn.

Who in Barnet gets to set their own pay rise? The Barnet Elite. Is it wrong.  Yes. Can we do anything about it? Yes, sign the petitions in the green bar at the side. Tell them what you think.

Here's a few comments from the Residents association petition


"This is disgraceful behaviour in the light of the cut backs that will effect so many residents of Barnet""

"We have already written to Cllr Hillan with copies to David Cameron, Eric Pickles, Michael Freer and Theresa Villiers expressing our outrage and disgust. So far have received reply from Michael Freer who agreed that increases were unjustifiable. Hoping he will take it further."


"I support this petition to the utmost. I think that we should call for a re-election and strive to get genuine councillors who stand for local democracy and decent standards in public life - something the Conservative councillors seem to know nothing about."

"At this credit crunch time it is unpolitical and outrageous to increase the allowances by even the cost of living index let alone by a huge amount."


 "As a pensioner I am feeling the effects of the recent rise in prices and drop in interest rates. While I reluctantly accept the necessity of this I am disgusted by the greed of Barnet council members."

Sign the petition and have your say.

6 comments:

Broadway Blogger said...

I was wondering whether someone could design an allowancegate poster in A4 or A3 for download that everyone could display in their windows and in local shops in Barnet. Non party political of course.

I think we need to show visually how much the community is against these rises. The silence from the Tories is nearly as bad as the rises themselves.

Our Mill Hill councillors have not even bothered to explain to the voters their position. That is appalling.

Mrs Angry said...

BB: that is a brilliant idea. Maybe someone could persuade the local Times to do one to support their petition?

Anonymous said...

The issue isn't the design of a poster, that is the 2nd thing to do, there needs to be a grass roots 'coalition' or 'campaign' with a small number of agreed sensible points that organisations can sign up to. In my view there is too much fragmentation between everyone's effort....

Moaneybat said...

Hope shall prevail

As the 2nd leading Tory 'Bugler,' Danny boy, how about you doing something about it as an ex-councillor, cynically de-selected by your colleagues, by leading the 'free' citizens of Barnet into battle, against these tyrants, on the streets, our lanes, our housing estates of the unwanted, outside Downing Street, on the beaches, we shall never give up and, show that the Mother of all Democracies is not full of hypocrisy in Barnet, Marchon! Marchon! miaow!

Anonymous said...

As you invite me to I would merely suggest the following. The basis of the campaign could / should be:

1. Unacceptable rise. We find the increase to top Councillor's pay unacceptable, especially in the light of the public sector pay freeze.

2. No publicity for proposal. We agree with the GMB Union that the way the Council proceeded to alter the allowances was disgraceful, publishing the proposals just one day before the meeting.

3. Whipping was wrong. We agree with Matthew Offord MP that it was wrong that Conservative Councillors rigorously whipped to support the Leader's proposed pay rise but also that a Councillor was publicly stripped of her positions for abstaining in the vote.

4. Support opposition. We support the views expressed by Conservative MP Grant Shapps who roundly condemned the Council's move that have been endorsed by Mike Freer MP, Matthew Offord MP, Councillors Alison Moore and Jack Cohen.

5. Allowance rise must be reversed. We call for a special meeting of the Council to be called, with appropriate publicity, to consider either nullifying the decision of the last meeting of the Council and / or reverting to the March scheme of allowances with a 5% reduction to show leadership at this time.

What do we want?
The increase reversed!
When to we want it?
Now!

Moaneybat said...

Danie is Hope

There goes your chances in Barnet.

How many people in Barnet get to set the level of their own pay? All of those whom get paid over £100k at the expense of the working poor of affluent Barnet. Why? Because they have failed to be as rich as Hillan.

Cameron, the Premier Trumputer of Nouveau Britain, has NOT condemned Barnet's Tories, unless that happens there's no change, until Barnet's Conservatives take to the streets, there is No Change, until the people of Barnet take to the streets, there is no change. We will follow Hope when it happens!

What do we want?
Increase reversed!
What do we want?
Hillan out!
When do we want it?
Now!