Labour leader defends ‘fair’ expense claim
Reporter: JANICE BARKER
Date published: 24 June 2009
Oldham’s Labour group leader claimed £600 on top of his special responsibility allowance for 12 days of council interviews.
Failsworth East Councillor Jim McMahon gets a basic £8,500 allowance, like every councillor, plus £12,750 special responsibility allowance (SRA) as major opposition group leader.
The extra £600 claim was revealed after Saddleworth Parish councillor Ken Hulme questioned members’ allowances and expenses, published last week. He wanted to know if any group leaders had claimed loss of earnings for interviews last year when the new chief executive, executive directors and senior management candidates were being interviewed.
Councillor McMahon, who works full-time as a town centre manager and has a young family, published all Failsworth Ward councillors’ expenses and allowances on the Failsworth newsletter, where he also revealed the additional £600 payment. No other party leader made a claim.
Oldham Council chief executive Charlie Parker said: “The recruitment phase for a new team of executive directors was an exceptional period which took up a substantial amount of time last year.
“All three party leaders attended throughout the process, which we estimate would have taken up around 12 working days of their time. A request was made by a group leader if a contribution could be made to compensate for the additional time spent on the recruitment arrangements.
“Due to the exceptional circumstances we were dealing with, it was agreed that this arrangement could be made available to all party leaders as an additional special responsibility allowance.”
Councillor McMahon, who took leave from his job for the interviews, said: “Any allowances paid to me or any other member of the Labour group are not only part of the agreed scheme of allowances and directly attributed to time and expense incurred, but more importantly fair and reasonable.
“With the recent events in Westminster it is easy to compare this to local councillors. The reality is that all our allowances are set by an independent panel and are proportionate to the time and level of responsibility.”
Councillor Howard Sykes, the Lib-Dem Council leader, who has a £25,500 SRA, did not wish to comment. Tory group leader Councillor Jack Hulme, whose SRA is £2,550, said: “I didn’t feel it was appropriate to claim. It was part of my duties as a councillor. I am retired and it was not a consideration for me. I was not interested in it, but let’s be fair, that may be a consideration for him.”
Councillor Hulme, a Labour party member, said: “I am not attacking Jim, this is probably legitimate if it was out of the ordinary and absolutely exceptional. I am not criticising loss of earnings but I believe special responsibility allowances are creating a paid professional class in local politics where people are losing contact with the local electorate.”
