A PROPOSAL to shrink Wrexham Council’s Executive Board and review all councillors’ paid posts to save money has been rejected by elected members.
Minutes after Rhostyllen councillor Mark Pritchard was returned as leader of Wrexham County Borough Council for a historic 11th successive term, Plaid Cymru group leader Marc Jones proposed an amendment to the appointment of the council’s Executive Board.
“This motion requires full council to agree to the size of various committees,” he told the chamber. “Unfortunately the Plaid Cymru group cannot agree to the size of the Executive Board.
“We also believe that we need an urgent review of other paid councillor posts with a view to saving money and becoming a leaner organisation.
“This council is cutting jobs, it’s overseeing the loss of 60 jobs in the education sector and I don’t think that we can allow that to happen unless we also bear some of the cost.“With that in mind the Plaid Cymru group would like to propose an amendment calling for a reduction in Executive Board members to eight and for a review of other paid posts to determine whether there are savings to be made there as well.
The proposal was supported by Trade Union and Socialist Coalition Cllr Anthony Wedlake.
The member for Coedpoeth said: “Politicians in this country aren’t really held in very high regard at the moment.
“We’re probably not helped as local councillors by the fact that we get above-inflation pay awards every year which are out of our control – but are perceived by the electorate as us being able to line our own pockets while others are struggling.
“We’re certainly not helped by the fact that every time we discuss cuts in our services and cuts in staff we never seem to look at ourselves.
“This can’t go on, we can’t look our own officers in the eye and tell them we’re all in it together when clearly it feels like we’re not.
We have major cost challenges year-on-year and nothing is ever presented with regard the cost of councillors themselves.
“For the sake of confidence in the electoral process we need to stop and set an example and look at ourselves.”
Cllr Robert Ian Williams of Wednesbury told members he felt the Executive Board was at risk of looking after its own interests.
“I voted against this motion two years ago,” he said. “But having studied the council at great length since I became an elected member I really do think there is a great danger in having too large an Executive Board.
“I feel that when you’re on almost £40,000 a year as an executive member you’ve got a solid phalanx around the leader which it’s in their interests to keep. I’d like to minimise that expense to the council taxpayers of Wrexham. and I think that we should reduce the size of it.”
There was support across the chamber for a review, but some councillors warned that needed to come later in the year, to prevent the council becoming unable to operate.
“I support a review but I am concerned that if we do not agree the executive roles here today the political business of the council will grind to a halt,” said Labour group leader Cllr Dana Davies.
Leader Cllr Pritchard also supported the idea of a review, but was critical of the timing of the proposal.
“I respect the amendment but I do have a problem with it being here this evening,” he said.
“I think there’s a little bit of naivety in the chamber this evening because we can’t do this on the hoof. We can’t and we mustn’t.
“If you’re going to have a review, have a review of the whole structure and if you’re going to target the Executive Board – which I think is a little bit unfair – you have to do that full review. I agree with Cllr Davies that you have to be mindful what would happen after this vote.
“We’re entitled to the senior salary, we don’t make it up. The independent remuneration panel sets the salaries and long may that continue. We as elected members should never be near it.
“There’s a process in this council – go through the process. Do it correctly and take it through the constitution working group.
“There is a feeling that the executive board is being targeted. I could flip that around and say do we need as many chairs of scrutiny? Do we need the chair of planning? Do we need the chair of licensing?
“The thought process needs a lot more clarity and in my opinion it should go through the constitution working group.”
Despite support across the chamber for the idea of review, councillors voted against the amendment as written which would have forced an immediate reduction of the Executive Board.
