Conservative led North Northamptonshire Council has voted to give its councillors an inflation busting 11 per cent pay rise whilst council staff are still waiting to hear about their salary increase, rumoured to be around 2%.
Council leader Jason Smithers will now receive an annual allowance of £42,990 – an increase of 6.5 percent for what is considered his second job.
Labour and Independent opposition councillors voted against the increase, as well as two disgruntled Conservatives.
UNISON East Midlands regional organiser Cathy Symes says: “This self-imposed pay rise is a slap in the face of working people across North Northamptonshire and the Conservative councillors who approved this hike should be ashamed.
“Most working people don’t have vast savings they can delve in to, or lucrative second jobs to boost their already well-paid main source of employment.”
UNISON North Northants Local Government Branch spokesperson Kev Standishday says: “If these Tory councillors spent as much time organising the council’s finances and staffing effectively as they do raising their own pay, the council might not be in the mess it’s in.
“North Northants Council has more than 900 unfilled vacancies, a 6-month waiting time for a housing appointment, and other key services in crisis with staff leaving in every department. It’s clear that these councillors care more about lining their own pockets than serving local people”.
Notes to editors:
- The amount received by each of the elected councillors will increase from £12,718 to £14,000 per year.
- UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
