Taxi Driver Online

November 8, 2007 Thursday

Councillors vote for increased allowances

Dorset Echo

BOROUGH councillors have voted to increase their financial allowances.

Members of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's management committee agreed with recommendations to increase their basic allowance to £4,000.

The current flat rate for a councillor is £3,468 per year.

The rise, if it gets final approval from full council, will see the raise backdated to September 1 this year.

The proposed increases would see the chairman of the management committee entitled to a special responsibility' allowance of £5,000, a reduction of the current rate of £5,184.

The chairmen of the policy development and scrutiny committees, who currently get no extra expenses paid, would receive a special allowance of £3,000.

Management committee chairman Councillor Nigel Reed queried one of the officers' proposals to allow claims for taxi fares in exceptional circumstances' by the council's democratic services manager.

Coun Reed said: "My concern is we're asking officers to make exceptional decisions on taxis."

Members agreed to change the recommendation's wording to say that taxi fares will be paid in accordance with guidelines to be produced'.

Coun Mike Goodman said: "We should not be funding expensive lifestyle choices out of the public purse.

"If you choose not to drive in then you don't get a taxi in its place."
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