There Is Real Local Anger At Labour Councillors Voting Themselves A 20% Increase

I was out in Chester le Street today and almost every voter I spoke to was angry and upset about the decision by Labour Councillors to increase their allowances by a staggering 20%. I made my shock at the decision of Labour Councillors clear on this blog the other day and also in the Northern Echo today.

What angered the people I spoke to most is the perception that Labour Councillors have grown detached from the people they are elected to represent. People are genuinely appalled that Labour Councillors are doing this at a time when most local people are worried about their jobs, mortgage payments and mounting bills and at a time when almost everybody is having to tighten their belts.

Local people see Labour Councillors saying that they need to cut back services but still not even pausing to show any restraint when adding hundreds of thousands to the Council's budget for their own pay. Local people do not understand why they are being asked to pay Council Tax at a massively increased rate, whilst Labour Councillors are, at the same time, helping themselves to this increase.

People in North Durham are fed up at being taken for granted. They are getting fed up of a complacent Labour Party. This is just another example of a local Labour establishment losing touch with voters in the area.