Councillors on Cornwall Council have voted to give themselves a 20% rise in their basic allowances.
The government has criticised Cornwall councillors for voting themselves a pay rise of almost 20%. The increase in May will take their total allowance to £14,600. Our presenter Cordelia Lynch interviewed John Glen who works for the Local Government Minister Eric Pickles about the move.
There has been widespread dismay at the pay rise voted through by Cornwall Councillors. Andrew Long was one of those who backed the increase, due to come into force in May. Our presenter Ian Axton asked him to justify the decision.
Here's the full interview:
Councillors in Cornwall are under fire tonight after they awarded themselves a 20% increase in their allowances. It comes at a time when staff at the local authority are facing a pay freeze and services are being cut.
The amount paid to councillors is among the highest in the country. Cornwall's new figure of £14,600 compares with under £11,000 at Devon County Council and £10,000 at Plymouth City Council. Both have frozen allowances at last year's figures.
Our Cornwall Correspondent Steve Hardy reports.
Councillors in Cornwall have voted to give themselves a 20 per cent rise in their basic allowances.
The figure will rise from £12,148 to £14,600 - giving them one of the highest basic allowances in the country.
It means the total amount of Cornwall Council’s budget to be spent on basic allowances will increase to just over £300,000.