Cut councillor allowances to reduce York council tax rise, say Conservatives

York’s Conservatives are recommending that councillors’ allowances are slashed to save cash in the upcoming budget.

Opposition groups have tabled their amendments to the 2022/23 budget, which is due to be debated by Full Council on Thursday.

The Conservatives would also cut the number of executive members (senior councillors) by two, saving £38k – with Labour doing the same.

The ruling Liberal Democrat / Green administration has already laid out its plans, including a council tax rise of 2.99 per cent, plus plus another one per cent for the social care precept.

The city’s two Conservative councillors want a slightly lower rise of 2.5 per cent.

Other Conservative recommendations include spending £100k on pothole repairs, £10k on 40 new benches and spending £75k on solutions to to help communities lacking adequate bus travel.

The group would reduce councillor allowances back to their 2019 levels, saving £77k. Both Conservative leader Paul Doughty and his colleague, Martin Rowley, voted against a rise at the time.

The group would also cut £100k from the climate change delivery fund, save nearly £90k by cutting two jobs in the council’s communications department and reduce overtime budgets, saving £100k.

Tackling waste

Labour would look to reverse some of the cuts proposed by the Lib Dem / Greens – including £150k from the home to school transport budget, £100k from the carbon reduction team and £31k in mental health support.

The party said they would invest £30k in developing a planning policy to restrict the number of AirBnBs in the city and plough £50k into the Acomb Front Street regeneration.

The group would raise money by increasing the bulky waste collection charge from £24 to £30 and increase the charge for people who have two or more green bins collected, as well as reducing highways funding by £100k.

Labour group leader, Pete Kilbane said: “Our budget tackles those areas of waste such as ruling councillors’ spending on themselves, reverses a major cut to carbon reduction work and boosts funding for mental health at this most vital time.

“We are also prioritising investment at Front Street shops in Westfield after years of inaction, and on play area and green space funding for areas that were abandoned when the Lib Dems’ changed the rules to benefit their own wards. 

“This is just the start of what we’d do to get this council back on the right track.”

Conservative leader Coun Doughty said: “We’d cut the cost of politics, returning councillor allowances to the 2019 level, not the 20-50 per cent hikes the LibDems/Greens raised them by, also cutting two executive members and the climate scrutiny chair. 

“Instead, our focus is on better public services and facilities. These include an increased local budget for potholes, planning for investment in public toilets, substantially more street benches and bicycle rack provision in the city centre and main shopping areas such as Acomb and Haxby, plus encouragement for improved public transport for areas that need it. 

“We’d do all this and still manage to save half a percent in council tax for residents”