13 October 2014
Essex Green County Councillors have submitted a Motion to the Full Council meeting at County Hall on Tuesday 14th October calling for a review of the "free meals entitlement".
The meals have been served up for many years on the basis that councillors have an "entitlement" to a meal if they are in County Hall on any approved duty.
But that can mean that a councillor could be in for just a morning meeting and then stay to have a meal, even though they could go home and eat.
It also means that, in general terms, those having the most meals will tend to be the senior councillors who are in the building the most - which includes many Members on already generous allowances and expenses.
The “free meals” are actually funded by the taxpayer, yet do not appear in the schedules of Member’s allowances and expenses. There is also a question as to how the payments should be dealt with in the tax system.
In the year 2013/14, ten senior ECC Members received payments of allowances and expenses totalling between £43k and £68k (1). Of those, 4 Members received payments totalling over £50k.
Green County Councillor James Abbott said
”In an era of continuing austerity and service reductions, we ask why councillors, some of whom already receive double the full time wage for Essex, are getting taxpayer funded meals ?
Councillors who are in County Hall for long hours on their duties clearly need to have access to food and drink so we are not advocating scrapping the Member's restaurant. But we are calling for a review so that meals are available when really needed and are paid for fairly.
We took the decision when elected in May 2013 that Green County Councillors would not take free meals.”
Green County Councillor Michael Hoy said
“There are now 21 Tory councillors with paid jobs in the administration, who are already entitled to the basic allowance, a special responsibility allowance and travel expenses.
Most residents in Essex have to pay for their own meals. At the debate on Tuesday in County Hall we hope and trust that Members from the Conservative Group and all parties will demonstrate that the County Council can take a step to become more like the rest of Essex. This is one step of many we need to make to restore some of the lost faith in the political system.”
ENDS
Text of Green Group Motion:
Review of Member Dining Facilities
Moved by Councillor J Abbott and seconded by Councillor M Hoy
‘This Council notes that there is continued downward pressure on local government finances which due to Government policy is likely to remain in place for some years.
Council further notes that the authority (Essex County Council) is having to review its services to find significant year on year savings and that this is impacting on its residents in a number of ways, such as the provision and cost of school transport.
In this context Council agrees that it is not appropriate that Members of the authority should continue to benefit from "free meals", which are a cost to the authority and hence to taxpayers.
Council agrees that a review of the provision will be conducted with the aims of retaining the service to Members but with a fairer and more appropriate mechanism for meeting the cost of meals.’
Notes:
(1) http://www.essex.gov.uk/Your-Council/Councillors/Allowances/Documents/Members_expenses_2013-14.pdf
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