SCORES of councillors have refused to say whether they will take a 19 per cent increase in their personal allowances.
The Oxford Mail contacted all Oxfordshire county councillors after the controversial vote which was passed last Tuesday.
Of the 61 who voted – 38 for, 20 against and three abstaining – just 14 responded to the Mail to say whether they would take the money.
Of those, three Labour members said they would campaign against the rise and three Conservatives confirmed they would not take it, as they had pledged before the vote.
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Liberal Democrat Jean Fooks said she voted for the increase because it had been recommended by an independent renumeration panel.
But the Wolvercote and Summertown councillor said: “Personally I plan not to accept the increase as I do not need it to enable me to fulfil my role as a county councillor at this time.”
Labour councillor for Didcot Nick Hards and Banbury’s Mark Cherry said if the increase passed the final budget vote in February they would donate their extra allowance money to local community groups or charities.
Independent Wallingford councillor Lynda Atkins said she would accept the increased allowance “as I am in the process of reducing my paid working hours in order to have the time available to do all my OCC work”.
She said: “I am well aware of the option not to accept the increase, as I chose not to take the previous increase as I had said in my election campaign then that I didn’t think the time was right then for an increase in allowances.
“I do think the situation now is different and that the increase in workload with the increased size of divisions has changed things.”
The vote on Tuesday caused much controversy, coming the day after warnings of £20m more in cuts to services. Labour councillor for Osney and Jericho Susanna Pressel said: “The Labour group is campaigning hard to prevent this increase from taking place.
“We all voted against it at the council meeting, and I hope the public will rally round.
“Please make it clear to your county councillor that this increase is not acceptable; there are so many better things on which to spend this £160k.”
Labour councillors for Witney, Laura Price, and for Isis ward, John Tanner, also said they would fight the increase.
Prior to the vote Conservative councillors Arash Fatemian and cabinet member for finance Lawrie Stratford said they would tell payroll officers not to increase their allowances.
Simon Hoare was the only Conservative to vote against the increase, and said he would not accept it. He said the money would be better spent repairing roads or on adult social care.
Labour’s Liz Brighouse simply said her allowance – as leader of the opposition – was actually being cut, while Bicester Conservative Michael Waine, who voted for the increase, said: “My position is known.”
From top, Lynda Atkins, Laura Price, Nick Hards and Mark Cherry
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