Backdate hope (From York Press)

Backdate hope

11:35am Thursday 18th October 2012 in Letters By Reader's letter

CONGRATULATIONS to City of York councillors who voted against the latest increases proposed for their allowances.

They can now make the cuts to the most vulnerable parts of society forced on them by the self-appointed Government, safe in the knowledge that they at are leading by example.

That said, I can understand and support the comments of Coun Joe Watt on the redistribution of the current budget to a more accurate reflection of the role and workload of “backbench councilors”.

The present system does not do this and from the word go has created unfair divisions.

Having read the report on councillor allowances, it is obvious it has not been subjected to the normal job evaluation systems used for the rest of the public sector.

However there is one recommendation I sincerely hope will be accepted for all future allowance increases.

That is in Para 11.1: “The panel recommends that any changes to the scheme should be backdated to 1/4 and that allowances should be uplifted on an annual basis in line with any general salary increases payable to council staff.”

By accepting this recommendation, the council would not only save the annual costs of the review panel, but would also be seen as a fair employer.

Liz Edge, Parkside Close, York.