TWO first term Herefordshire councillors are challenging every other councillor to cut their allowances by up to 10 per cent and show senior officers that “huge” salaries should shrink too.

That challenge is made in a motion put to a meeting of the full council tomorrow (Friday) by Councillor Andrew Atkinson and seconded by Councillor Paul Rone, pictured left to right.

The two Tories are among the youngest on the authority.

Herefordshire councillors claimed a combined £673,223 in allowances over the 2012-2013 financial year.

Each member gets a basic allowance of around £7,240 a year and claims can be made for designated special responsibilities as well as for travel, food and computer and telephone bills.

Coun Atkinson, who has a cleaning business, and Coun Rone, a taxi driver, claimed just over £12,000 each in allowances in 2012-13.

The motion, put to a meeting of the full council tomorrow afternoon, commits
councillors to a vote on voluntarily taking that 10 per cent cut and consider
not claiming all the expenses available to them.

See this week's Hereford Times for more on this story...