Councillors in Worthing have been called ‘morally bankrupt’ for approving increased allowances.
Worthing borough councillors voted to increase their allowances by 5.82 per cent on Tuesday (13 December) despite only having the budget for a two per cent rise.
Councillors receive a ‘basic allowance’ of around £5,100. Some expenses are also covered and a ‘special responsibility allowance’ is paid for extra duties such as chairing a committee or becoming a party leader.
Councillors were asked if they wanted to accept a 5.82 per cent increase – in line with the average staff pay award – or the two per cent the council budgeted for. They supported the higher figure which is £10,740 over budget.
Opposition leader Kevin Jenkins (Con, Goring) called councillors who supported the higher increase ‘morally bankrupt’ but he did support the two per cent increase.
“Over the last few weeks, you’ve asked yourselves how you’re going to balance the books,” he said:
“As a [Labour] group, you’re willing to vote for a 5.2 per cent increase, which is over the budget that is allowed, which means you have got to take more money out of reserves.
“I’d support the two per cent as it’s in the budget. I think if you vote for 5.82 per cent you’re morally bankrupt.”
Mr Jenkins was paid just under £20,000 between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 which included a basic allowance and a special responsibility allowance for being council leader.
Emma Taylor (Lab, Heene) told Mr Jenkins to ‘check your privilege’ as she says some councillors cannot afford to turn down a five per cent increase.
Russ Cochran (Con, Northbrook) is the only councillor who did not claim any allowances last year. He said it would be wrong to support an above budget increase.
Hazel Thorpe (LDem, Tarring) said she would not be accepting the five per cent increase ‘as a matter of principle’ as doing so would be a ‘slap in the face’ to residents on low wages.
“It’s only a small amount to help the budget, but it would send a message to our residents that we really do stand with them and it’s not just talk,” she said.
Andy Whight (Lab, Marine) pointed out that a five per cent rise was proposed and supported by Conservative members during a meeting last month.
Dan Hermitage (Lab, Selden) said councillors are affected by the cost of living just like other Worthing residents.
“I partly became a councillor to prove that working class people can marry their jobs alongside being representatives for our communities,” he said, “The allowance is a nice bonus on top of my low wage that brings [it] up towards the average [national] wage.”
Explaining why the Labour group supported the five per cent increase, council leader Beccy Cooper (Lab, Marine) said: “We are agreeing to this increase because we don’t want to exclude anybody from the chamber at all. We want to make it as accessible as possible.”
Dr Cooper said it was up to individual councillors to accept or decline the increase.
Deputy leader Carl Walker (Lab, Selden) said:
“If councillors from lower income backgrounds are not able to be represented in this chamber, we lose the voices of the people we are meant to be serving; it becomes an echo chamber of people who have enough money to be a part of public life.”
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