Fire committee rejects pay rise

Dec 12 2007 by Aaron Boland, Liverpool Daily Post

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MEMBERS of Merseyside Fire Authority’s standards committee yesterday voted not to increase their allowances.

They had been presented with a report which recommended doubling the basic allowance for being an authority member.

But a motion by Conservative member Cllr Lesley Rennie opposed the increase, and this was passed by the committee.

The report to the fire authority’s standards committee had included a recommendation to increase the payment to councillors from £7,595 to £16,533.

If approved the allowance of the chairman, Knowsley Labour councillor Tony Newman, would have increased from £15,186 to £33,066. Others holding positions of special responsibility would also have had massive rises.

The proposal came just days after the authority said it had been given the “lowest grant allocation of any fire and rescue authority in the country”.

The proposals were branded “crass and insensitive” by Merseyside Fire Brigades Union secretary, Les Skarratts who added: “It’s an absurd mentality trying to push this through at a troubling time for the fire service.”

The increases were also criticised by Liberal Democrat members of the authority, with Sefton councillor Jack Colbert saying they were obscene.

Cllr Steve Niblock said he could not support the rise suggested in the report.

The chairman of the authority, Cllr Tony Newman, said the review of allowances for members was carried out independently, and had to be done every four years.

But he pointed out that in 1993 the suggested allowance of around £9,000 was rejected and members were given a basic allowance of £6,000 which had increased in line with fire fighters’ pay settlements since then.

Following the meeting, Cllr Rennie said she could not support a rise in payments to Authority members, and added: “I think it would be totally unjustifiable, particularly in the current financial climate.

“I was put on the Fire Authority by my own local authority, Wirral, and would not be there if I had not been elected by voters in my ward.

“And I feel any increase in salary would not make me give more than the 100% dedication I already give.”

She said she had not been able to speak formally with other members of her party on the Authority but added: “This is my personal view, and I hope others from my own party and the other groups will agree.”

The final decision on allowances will go forward to the full meeting of the authority on Thursday, December 13.

liammurphy