New Cheshire West and Chester Council claims £500K in allowances

Sep 21 2009 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

MEMBERS of Cheshire West and Chester Council claimed a total of £500,000 in allowances during its first year of operation when it was a shadow authority.

As would be expected, Tory council leader Mike Jones (Broxton) received the largest claim of £29,337.87.

Major components were his basic allowance of £4,387.10, which every member received, plus a responsibility allowance for extra roles totalling £23,251.30.

He also claimed £1,664.93 in travel expenses and £34.54 for subsistence - a category covering accommodation and meals when away from home.

Council spokesman Mike McGivern said: “Cheshire West and Chester councillors are running a £500m authority and as such the role of a councillor is very demanding on their time as well as on their professional and private lives.

“Councillors put in many hours working hard on behalf of their constituents so it is only right that the time and effort they put in is recognised through the allowance system and that councillors are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses they accrue while on council business.

“It is also worth remembering that there are now 72 councillors replacing the previous 182 , leading to a significant reduction in total allowances paid to councillors.”

Second highest claimer was deputy council leader Les Ford (Frodsham & Helsby) who received £22,276. Third highest claimer was Cllr Herbert Manley(Abbey), in charge of prosperity portfolio, who claimed £12,583.47.

The authority has been a fully fledged council since April 1 and the allowances have gone up. In 2009/10 all councillors will get a basic allowance of £11,458. That means council leader Cllr Mike Jones, who also receives a £28,645 special responsibility allowance for being leader, will receive £40,103.