Councils warned over member allowances
Author: Local Government Chronicle |
Local government minister John Healey has warned councils to get a grip on the number of councillors receiving additional allowances.
Speaking at an event organised by the Centre for Cities thinktank, Mr Healey said there was no evidence that councillors had systematically abused their allowances or expenses.
However, he expressed concern about the number of councillors receiving special responsibility allowances.
“We need to have a hard look at allowances,” he told the event.
Special responsibility allowances are payments made to councillors on top of the basic allowance for additional duties such as being a cabinet member or chairing a scrutiny committee.