Councillor costs raise concern

Not only did it rightly trigger anger that elected politicians were taking taxpayers for a ride but it also wrecked the already-sullied reputation of politicians and politics.

Local councillors have largely escaped scrutiny about their activities despite growing anger over the seemingly inexorable rise in council tax.

But today's survey by the Yorkshire Post reveals shocking details about the system of allowances for locally-elected members.

It is surely outrageous that councillors can receive allowances totalling more than 10,000 for attending fewer than five meetings in

a year.

Furthermore, it is scarcely credible that only two-thirds of local authorities in the region were able to provide a record for their councillors' attendance while fewer still made it readily available, raising serious questions about the accountability of elected members to voters.

On top of this, the sizeable sums earned by a few for doing the bare minimum mask the remarkable efforts of other councillors who attend more than 100 meetings during a year.

The heyday of municipal authorities when civic worthies exerted real powers over their communities have long since gone – a victim of budget straitjackets as successive governments have sought to reduce public spending.

Yet the Government claims councillors will have an increasingly important role to play in future in holding town halls to account as it seeks to devolve powers from Westminster.

It remains doubtful that the slimmed-down authorities of the future will have the capabilities to take on new roles as Ministers apparently hope.

But if there is to be a revival and reinvigoration of local government then efforts should surely be made to attract councillors of the right calibre. In other words, those prepared to roll up their sleeves and get down to work rather than those who simply roll up when it

is convenient.