Value for money?

EVEN though a by-product of the MPs' expenses scandal was far greater transparency over the entitlements paid to Parliamentarians, such scrutiny has not yet been brought to bear on local government, where councillors have received nearly Â£700m in allowances over the past three years according to landmark research undertaken by the TaxPayers' Alliance.

Of course, this figure can be interpreted two ways – some will contend that such payments cannot be justified at a time when important local services are being cut while others, not least local councillors, will argue that their duties are such that this headline sum represents value for money when town halls now deal with budgets comparable to blue-chip companies.

Three wider points should be made. First, current protocols should be reviewed to ensure that they are not open to abuse – those whose claims are above board will have nothing to fear from this.

Second, this issue goes to the heart of Yorkshire’s devolution debate and concerns that governance costs could escalate still further if council leaders in West, North and East Yorkshire press ahead with separate plans.

Finally, the payments to councillors are small in comparison to the wage inflation enjoyed by those council executives now paid more than the Prime Minister.

Taxpayers do not want more tiers of government. They want more efficient services and much less bureaucracy, and this should be the primary factor in determining  both the allowances awarded to councillors and the salaries paid to council chiefs.