LOADS OF MONEY!

 Councillor allowances – are they worth it?

The cost of having 66 councillors in Sefton has been published.

Allowances claimed by the councillors came to an astounding £760,193.90.

Cllr Terry Jones says: “Some councillors’ input is minimal and that needs to be looked at."

‘Cllr Jones himself received a quite large special allowance (£4,300) for being leader of a minority group of only six councillors last year. Many councils do not pay allowances to opposition councillors except to the leader and deputy leader of the main opposition group. Councillor Jones has been noted for not making any contribution at all to a series of Council meetings.’

http://www.otsnews.co.uk/sefton-council-councillors-allowances/

http://www.qlocal.co.uk/southport/news_list/Sefton_Council__Councillors_Allowances_Published-54324981.htm

Ainsdale Tory councillor Terry Jones says:

“A lot of councillors work really very hard, sometimes they don’t, and the ones that work very hard get higher allowances because that’s what they deserve to get.”

Jones is quoted as receiving a total of £12,907. 80. Therefore his somewhat hypocritical remarks appear to be challenged as, ‘Pot calling the Kettle black,’ as above.

Is this Conservative leader actually ‘worth’ what we are paying him?

Let’s inspect a few facts, concerning his behaviour in the community.

To begin with, Jones apparently gets paid for being on the’ Overview and Scrutiny Committee’ (Adult Social Care)

This is moderately comical as he and his Ainsdale associate, Cllr Ted Hartill, were noticeable by their total absence throughout a hard fought community battle to save the Brookdale’s specialist dementia care facility in Ainsdale. 

The battle was fortunately triumphant, but these two well-paid Tory politicians were nowhere (and it was their ward) to be found and many residents understandably wondered why.  

http://www.otsnews.co.uk/campaign-to-save-woodvales-brookdale-resource-centre-successful/

Moreover, Jones previously had been approached by Woodvale residents along with Cllr Haydn Preece with sensible proposals to develop the dilapidated land at Sandbrook Way for elderly residents.

Jones and Hartill in fact BLOCKED all proposals, purportedly because they were not their idea.

http://pat-regan.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/tory-let-down-for-sandbrook-way.html

This abandoned Woodvale eyesore herein remains shoddier than ever, but do these politicians even care?

http://www.otsnews.co.uk/seftons-tory-jokers-are-they-really-worth-what-we-pay-them/

Jones also weirdly threatened Ainsdale residents with LEGAL ACTION for no good reason.

http://pat-regan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/childish-legal-threat-offsouthport-tory.html

Nevertheless, his initial audacity failed. He quickly ran away when his absurd conduct was responded to by the recipients of this foolish threat. His party also failed to come forward and defend him at the time, because they had obviously looked at the situation and realised he was blowing nothing more than hot air!

http://www.otsnews.co.uk/southport-family-threatened-with-legal-action-by-tory-leader/

Jones also ran several pre-election broadsheets that were grammatically laughable, being riddled with basic errors. One would think leading politicians seeking votes could get this right.

http://www.otsnews.co.uk/southport-conservatives-insult-their-supporters-with-election-sheet-cock-up/

Jones also made covert tape recordings of members of the pubic and the legality of that dubious situation currently remains under review and a moot point.

Jones and his colleague Ted Hartill (who is frequently to be found either holidaying abroad or enjoying his bicycling hobby at the local community centre) have been noticeable by their nonappearance in the neighbourhood with numerous mystified residents asking why they were even getting paid and for what exactly.

Cllr Hartill was also rather busy presiding over wanton eco-destruction in the local  woodlands

http://www.qlocal.co.uk/southport/news_list/WACA_misdirection_%26amp%3B_ignorance_is_now_destroying_Woodvale%92s_ecosystem!-54109666.htm

So we do sincerely need to ask ourselves if these so-called councillors are worth what we are paying them, with our example of Cllr Jones here being on the contentious Sefton meal ticket for a considerable £12,907. 80.

Of course other examples may possibly be discovered, yet Cllr Jones is very much a ‘special case’ of public apprehension, due to the quantity of truthful information readily available concerning his questionable ongoing performance.

And who knows? One day the local press may even print a few facts - but we won't hold our breath!