Derby Telegraph comment

WELCOME to the real world of Britain 2011, Derby city councillors.

They have decided against immediate implementation of a proposal that the number of them who receive additional payments for so-called special responsibilities should be cut back.

The recommendation came from the authority's independent remuneration panel, which also advocated freezing the £9,976 basic allowance paid to all councillors.

The council's governance committee is now to spend 12 months looking into the issue.

Leading Conservative Councillor Philip Hickson agreed the basic allowance should be frozen, but described the panel's report as flawed and lacking detail.

"It's always awkward when you have to decide your own pay but over the last three years we have not been applying any increases and allowances have not gone up in line with inflation," he said last night.

There will be a lot of dry eyes over that. Lots of the council's own staff would be delighted to have put up with having their pay frozen, rather than facing the prospect of being out of work under cost-cutting measures.

And there are not too many other people in the city whose income has kept pace with inflation in the last three years.

The panel had pointed out that the national guideline was that no more than 50% of councillors should receive a special responsibility allowance – but in Derby 39 of the 51 councillors received one.

That takes some justifying and the people of Derby will want to know why it is the case.

They will not be impressed if they have to wait 12 months for an answer – particularly if councillors carry on receiving the special allowances through-out that time.