Kingston councillors receive lowest allowance in capital (From This Is Local London)

Kingston councillors receive lowest allowance in capital

5:50am Thursday 6th September 2012 in News By Tom Barnes

Councillors in Kingston pay themselves the lowest personal allowance in the capital, despite charging the most in council tax.

With the council forced to rein in spending, politicians in the borough appear to be doing their bit by taking just £7,528 each a year from the public purse.

The money is nearly £4,000 less than in neighbouring Croydon, where councillors have the highest allowances in London, and £2,000 less than the capital-wide average.

The 48 councillors in the borough are costing residents nearly £100,000 a year less in basic allowances by taking less than their London counterparts.

Jonathan Isaby, political director of the Taxpayers’ Alliance and a Kingston resident, praised councillors in the borough for keeping costs down.

He said: “Residents in neighbouring boroughs where the allowances are higher will rightly be asking why their councillors can’t get by on the same allowance as their counterparts in Kingston.”

Councillor Derek Osbourne, leader of Kingston Council, who receives £31,064 for his role, said the borough tried to be sensible and prudent with its money and offer residents good value.

He said: “As the cuts bite we have tried to do our best to cut costs without cutting services.

"As you can see from these results, compared with everyone else, councillors in Kingston offer pretty good value.”

The Independent Panel for Remuneration of Councillors in London recommends a £54,227 allowance for a council leader and £10,597 for ordinary councillors.

Are Kingston councillors underpaid? Email dlindsell@london.newsquest.co.uk or leave a comment below.