Responding to Paul Fisher’s point about the additional cabinet assistant posts and their special responsibility allowances (SRAs), and Jeremy Parkinson’s point about the number of SRAs being excessive, the Conservative Group’s alternative budget proposals this year included the fact that currently over 75% of councillors are paid SRAs, ignoring the recommendation of the independent panel on councillor remuneration that no more than 50% of councillors should receive SRAs. Our budget proposals included abolishing the five cabinet assistant SRAs and the seven area forum vice-chairman SRAs to (in a neat twist given this discussion thread) divert the money to filling potholes. Each cabinet assistant SRA would fill 182 potholes. Together, the five SRAs would fix 914 potholes. Each area forum vice-chairman SRA would fill 51 potholes or 357 potholes. The total saving from abolishing these 12 SRAs would fill 1,271 potholes this year – more when the annual pay increase has been included in the calculations. It was my task to speak on this point. I emphasised that we must prioritise essential services, including critical infrastructure needs to improve the quality of our streets – for the benefit of residents, business ratepayers, visitors and people passing through the borough – by fixing potholes instead of prioritising unnecessary SRAs. You can watch this part of the budget-setting debate on the council’s YouTube channel, starting at around 01.08: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49F7to60bzk
Joanna Biddolph ● 49d