Campaign to cut allowance (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Campaign to cut allowance

3:03pm Thursday 1st February 2007 in News

Tewkesbury resident John Badham has staged a one-man campaign, linking the high cost of parking in the town with the allowances paid to borough councillors.

He put 5,000 leaflets on windscreens in the town's car parks, thanking motor-ists for contributing to councillors' £9,000 annual expenses.

It also pointed out that Cotswold District Councillors receive £3,800 a year, and Gloucester, £4,787.

He made his protest because he felt Tewkesbury was not getting value for money from its councillors, and that cutting their allowances would go some way towards restoring some of the cuts they were making to try and balance their budget.

These include not planting the town's flowerbeds, and cutting the museum's annual grant of £8,000.

Alan Purkis, chairman of Tewkesbury Forward Group, of which John is a member, said that while there was no vote taken, a recent meeting of the group applauded his actions.

Last year an independent review group suggested allowances of £6,000 a year, but councillors voted instead a cut from £10,400 to £9,000.

Borough Mayor Coun Mike Sztymiak agreed that allowances were too high, and said he would like them reduced.