downsmail.co.uk


Tories defeat plan to ‘trouser’ extrapayday


AMAIDSTONE Borough Coun- cil bid to award its members an increase in allowances has been defeated emphatically by the Tory opposition group. Backbenchmemberswould have


gota“pay”risefrom£5,065to£5,237, while the Liberal Democrat leader Martin Cox would have received £20,002 (up from£19,610) and com- mittee chairmen/womenwould get £8,000 insteadof £7,843. Therecommendationsfollowedan


independent review panel, which LiberalDemocrat-ledMBCsays cost the taxpayermore than £2,000. Per- haps themostcontroversialproposal was to give the independent deputy council leader,CllrFayGooch,£4,000 for thepostand£4,000for thenewly- createdDemocracyandGeneralPur- poses Committee, of which she is chair. The council passed a pay increase


in2018withlittledissent. The Conservative group leader John Perry (pictured) opposed


“higher than inflation” increases whenothershadtoreininspending. HetoldfullcouncilonJuly17:“We


are going to trouser a little bitmore moneyfromourhard-pressedcoun- cil taxpayerswhich, quite frankly, I findpretty awful.” Cllr Gooch’s independent group


wasnecessaryfor theLibDemstore- taincontrolof thecouncil inMay,de- spite the Conservatives being the numerically superior party in the chamber.Shepointedout shewould only have been able to claimone of


the special responsibility payments. LibDemCllrBrianClarksaidif local councils offered no allowance, town halls would only attract the “very wealthy” or retired. LabourgroupleaderCllrMalcolm


McKayaccusedtheToriesof turning the issue into a “political football”. IndependentMaidstonecouncillor


EddiePowellarguedfor "self-auster- ity" at a timewhen people are find- ing life tough. Later he added: “It's not right for us to accept these in- creases when people are finding it hardto get by. It’snot fair." Tory member Jonathan Purle


called for a named vote in the inter- ests of knowing who wanted “this largesse charged to the council tax payers' chit”. The motion for an allowance in-


creasewasdefeatedby four votes.A majority of the Liberal Democrats voted in favour of the increase, all but one of the Tories voted against and Cllr Powell also rejected a pay rise.


News Hospital gift


LIFE-saving equipment worth £51,000 has been bought forMaid- stone Hospital’s emergency de- partment, thanks to its league of friends. The charity funded the portable


Sonosite X-Porte ultrasound ma- chine,which allowsdoctors to scan patients for a collapsed lung and bloodin the abdomen or chest.The X-Porte also allows doctors to take videos and photos of scans. The hospital trust thankedMaid-


stone Hospital League of Friends, adding: “This wonderful piece of kit has been used every day and has made a life-changing differ- ence to numerous patients.”


Sewage leak


A LEAKING sewer pipe caused headaches for council bosses at the MaidstoneLeisureCentre car park inMote Park. Waste was said to be running


down towards a children's park, which was due to open officially on July 24. Maidstone Borough Council,


which owns the centre, said the leakdidnot affect the operations of the centre and apologised for the inconvenience caused.


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