Clarity welcomed from City Mayor

9th December, 2011

Well done Radio Leicester! On Ben Jackson’s programme this morning we finally heard the City Mayor say he would not take an allowance of £100,000. He now agrees with the majority of people who have expressed a view that it would be wrong to take an increase of £44,000 in the current climate of cuts and job losses. I welcome this, it is the right thing to do politically. Its a pity it has taken so long and so much pressure from councillors and the public.

It is my view, along with many others that it is unacceptable to take huge increases in pay when services are being cut and the people that you are politically responsible for are losing their jobs. That is why I said in my submission to the Independent Panel on the 12th of September, that if I was awarded an increase I would not take it. Political leaders need to be clear from the outset to reinforce the contract of trust with the people that elected them.

This is about accountability and the raising of standards in politics, it is not personal.

Politicians are not always well thought of. Many people think we say one thing and do another. I think we all have a duty to prove this is not the case. Part of that duty is to challenge what could look like hypocrisy when you see it. I firmly believe  that politicians should always be prepared to defend in public the political positions they hold in private.

It seemed obvious to me that it is wrong to blame the Independent Panel for coming up with £100,000 when your own evidence to the panel led them to this conclusion.

I think people are able to judge for themselves so I have published here further evidence submitted to the panel.

I can only apologise if any of this appears to be personal, I can say quite categorically it is not. The issue of £100,000 for the  City mayor has been hugely controversial with councillors and the public. To claim its all personal on my part appears to ignore the strength of public feeling, which I echo.

The role that we have  in scrutiny inevitably means that sometimes we shine a light in places that can be uncomfortable for those in power. Surely we would not be doing our job if we didn’t do this? Likewise we also make many positive and supportive statements about what those in power are doing. On Monday of this week I have welcomed the proposals from the City mayor in a BBC Radio Leicester interview to connect the historic quarter of the city back to the city centre.