Committee Chairs Paid Thousands per Meeting While Social Services Cut – Labour Continue their Tone Deaf Approach to Members Allowances

Seven years ago, the Labour group in Southwark made the bizarre and selfish decision to introduce ‘loss of office payments’, known more commonly as ‘golden goodbyes’.

This scheme, unique to Southwark, baffled and insulted the residents of Southwark.

Those same residents, I’m sure, would have joined our group in celebrating Labour’s decision to scrap these wasteful, undeserved payouts, as was confirmed at this month’s full council meeting.

Unfortunately, at that same meeting, Labour demonstrated their stubborn commitment to being totally tone deaf in regards to their members’ allowances scheme.

Labour members unanimously passed a report recommending their own pay rise, just a month after raising council tax and cutting key services in their 2023/24 budget.

Over half of the Labour members in Southwark receive an addition ‘Special Responsibility Allowance’ on top of their standard member’s allowance. To say they are generous would be a glaring understatement.

Over the last 12 months, the chair of Southwark’s main scrutiny has been paid the equivalent of £3,208 per meeting. For a 2 hour meeting, this is equivalent to £26 per minute, double the hourly wage of carer in London.

While services are being cut, deputy cabinet members have been offered a pay rise despite their contribution to the borough remaining entirely unclear.

At full council Labour said they were giving pay rises to deputy cabinet members in order to “nurture talent”. I think the taxpayers of Southwark may be more than a little disturbed by the suggestion that their money is better used to groom a new generation of Labour politicians, rather than help people struggling in the cost of living crisis.

The Liberal Democrat group proposed a common sense amendment, reducing these additional allowances to rates far more appropriate to their responsibilities and saving the council £250,000 in the process.

That money could have been used to reserve the cuts to numerous teams delivering services for the most vulnerable in Southwark.

Of course councillors should be properly paid for their work, but Labour’s inflated allowances are little more than cronyism. The feathers in their nests have piled up so high they can no longer see how out of step they are with the feelings of residents.

Eventually, just like with their golden goodbyes, they will be forced to put an end to this ‘jobs for mates’ culture. We just have to hope it doesn’t take another seven years.