Shropshire councillors cut expenses

Shropshire Councillors have agreed to cut their basic allowance and travel expenses to "share the pain" with staff who face a pay freeze and changes to their employment terms and conditions.

The Tory-dominated Shropshire Council has also voted for millions of pounds of savings to balance the books, but has been warned the move is only a "precursor to Armageddon" with even deeper cuts needed from next year.

Members have approved a five per cent cut to their basic allowance, which will be £12,120 from April 1.

They have also agreed to reduce their various mileage allowances, bringing the figure down to a standard 40 pence per mile in line with staff travel rates. Current rates for members range from 46p to 65p.

Council leader Keith Barrow said: "There is going to be pain and we should all take our share of it."

He has also revealed that he has asked officers to approach the Boundary Commission to see whether it will be possible to reduce the number of councillors - currently 74 - which will help make further savings.

The full council yesterday voted 46 to 19 for a series of measures aimed at finding the remaining £16.2 million which will give the total savings of £30,803,000 needed by April 1 to deliver a balanced budget for 2011/12.

This is in addition to £10 million the council found last year to offset the loss of Government grants.

But there remains a funding shortfall of £38 million covering the years 2012/13 and 2013/14.

The budget cuts were strongly condemned by Labour opposition leader Alan Mosley. He said many vulnerable people would not be immune from the cuts, citing the axing of 60 staff posts in adult social care.

Labour's Ted Clarke described the cuts as a "precursor to Armageddon".

Tory member Martin Bennett said the council had a legal obligation to produce a balanced budget. Councillor Barrow said the council was having to take tough decisions because the previous Labour government had brought the country to the "brink of bankruptcy".

By Dave Morris