Cardiff Post Article March 2008

Cardiff Council set the Council Tax for the financial year 2008/9 at an increased level of 3.5%.

 

My Independent ward colleague Adrian Robson and I were pleased to produce a fully costed alternative budget which would have delivered a slight reduction in Council Tax for the City’s taxpayers.  Our budget was the lowest for the third year running and proposed many alternatives to the Council Executive’s budget, which changed a number of times on the night.  We would have cut spending on consultants and agency staff, deleted the staff and Councillors food subsidy whilst protecting the essential services.

 

The Council provides a lavish buffet for Councillors before the monthly Council meeting, the cost of which is met by the taxpayer.  In my view, this should be deleted.  The taxpayer does not have a duty to feed Councillors at meetings.  I was amazed to hear one Councillor give an impassioned speech regarding the refreshments, or lack of them as the evening went on and she received applause from many fellow members. She complained that the buffet had been eaten and demanded more food as she was feeling unwell due to an illness.  I cannot believe that senior civil servants were sent out into town to buy up sandwiches and other snacks to feed Councillors.  Another private function in City Hall also very kindly offered leftover curry, and during the meeting a number of Councillors took advantage of this food.  I thought the whole reason of having a Council Meeting was to debate the City’s issues, and not provide continuous food for Councillors.

 

When I raise this issue in Council, I am regularly criticised. The arguments expressed include that Councillors have illnesses which mean that they needed to eat regularly, but surely the onus is on them to bring food as our Council meetings (especially the budget meeting) can run late into the evening. At the meeting some suggested that the Council has a duty of care to its Councillors. This may be, but do we not also have a duty of care to ourselves? Adrian and I take our own bottled water and refreshments for our medication, why can’t others? And if there is to be food provided during a meeting, then shouldn’t Councillors pay for it? 

 

I would be keen to know your views on this, as it appears that Adrian Robson and I appear in the minority on the Council on this issue.  We would rather see the money spent on this hospitality on repairing the roads, cleaning graffiti or other issues which need addressing.

 

We are staging an Easter Coffee Morning on Saturday 15^th March, between 11am – 1pm at Bethany Baptist Church Hall, Heol Uchaf. 

 

My telephone number is 029 2062 7757, fax 029 2087 7005, mobile 079 7001 3332, E-Mail jcowan@cardiff.gov.uk or log on to www.rhiwbinaward.com