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Political parties take a cut of council tax claim
Reporter: JANICE BARKER
Date online: 10/03/2010
Oldham councillors are supporting their political parties from their civic allowances, says a local independent councillor.
Saddleworth parish councillor Ken Hulme says the practice should stop: “As an independent councillor who is not a member of any political party, I strongly resent my council tax being used to subsidise political parties I don’t support.”
Evening Chronicle inquiries with Liberal Democrat, Labour and Tory parties found they all expect councillors to pay a percentage of their allowance to the local party.
“If you want to stand as a Liberal Democrat councillor in Oldham, you have to agree to hand over 10 per cent of all your councillor’s allowances to the party. There is no choice, it’s compulsory,” claimed Councillor Hulme, who hopes to become an independent Oldham councillor at the May elections and who plans to give up some of his allowances, if elected.
He says documents with the Electoral Commission show the local Lib-Dems have paid £8,250 a quarter, or £33,000 in a full year, to their party.
Lib-Dem leader Councillor Howard Sykes said that was how the money appeared in the accounts, but it was recharged to Oldham and used to support the local party and spent in Oldham.
He added: “Councillors pay into a pot to keep residents informed. We make it clear that when people seek election to office this is expected of them, a certain percentage — which makes it equitable so those who get more pay more.
“I think Councillor Hulme is very aware of this and is attempting to smear us all.”
Local Lib-Dem treasurer David Hampson, said: “They are voluntary contributions out of taxed income.”
Labour leader Councillor Jim McMahon said: “We do receive funding on a voluntary basis from councillors’ allowances and party members, and it is done to pay for campaigning activities.
“It can be two or three per cent. It is used to give a certain amount of money to wards to make sure there is a community campaign right across the borough.”
Tory leader Councillor Jack Hulme said Conservatives have a similar scheme, with a single-figure percentage from each councillor. The money does not go out of the borough and is used for leaflets and campaigning, he added.
Comments
There have been two independent candidates stating this for a number of years and promising to cut so called allowances. The chronicle weren't interested. When rent-a-gob Hulme pipes up, it's a news story.
Fancy that.
Oldham Watcher - the point you are making is ????
Don't you want the issue raised in public debate ????
Answers please
Cut the allowance. I do not wish to receive leaflets, campaign material or to be "kept informed".
Ken does it again. The problem with his suggestion is that political parties would become over represented by the rich!Overall Councillors are one of the cheapest sytems of representation. The current system in Local Government is really quite transparant. Ken is spouting nonsense
Next time you are inundated with useless campaign literature through your letterbox, you can be comforted by the knowledge that you are helping to pay for it. Put it in an envelope, send it back to party HQ, without a stamp.
Councillors have income from their day jobs as well as their allowances. How can you say that the money they donate to their party comes from one of these two incomes specifically. This is a load of rubbish from a publicity hungry tool.
I'd like a say in how Ken Hulme spends his pay, please.
A gag, maybe? He is a windbag.
Cllr Hulme really has hit a sore spot - keep it up lad - Oldham Council is long overdue for a shake up. Lord help 'em if he gets elected in May - I'm voting for him just to see what happens next.
Cll Hulme takes on Parker and co in the council chamber with no holds barred - the council could make money by selling tickets for those meetings.
Have Your Say
Simple answer is to to cut the allowances paid to Concillors by the amount they give to their own party. Why should concil tax payers subsidise political parties? If people want to give to a political party, it should not come from allowances they receive from holding political office. Let them pay out of their full time work salaries.
By ProDriver @ 10/03/2010 16:14:29
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