Savings plan recommends increase in basic allowances for Merseytravel board members (From Wirral Globe)

Savings plan recommends increase in basic allowances for Merseytravel board members

1:12pm Thursday 2nd February 2012 in News By Craig Manning

MEMBERS of Merseytravel's board will see a rise in their basic allowance if recommendations are approved next week.

A report has been compiled by Dr Declan Hall, a former academic at the Institute of Local Government, on behalf of The Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority, which will meet to discuss its proposals on Thursday, February 9.

The report recommends basic allowances for Merseytravel board's members should increase from £5675 to £7266, a rise of 28.0%.

But a clampdown on special responsibility allowances, SRAs, means most councillors will be paid less.

Merseytravel chairman Mark Dowd will be paid a special responsibility allowance of £29,813.

But because of the changes, he will take a pay cut of more than £12,000 from April, meaning his take-home pay will drop from £49,665 to £37,079, from April, because he is no longer collecting multiple allowances.

If approved, chairs of committees allowances would rise from £4432 to £7453, an increase of 68.1%.

The vice chair of the Authority's allowance could increase by 38.7% from £12,896 to £17,888.

Merseytravel say the proposals would save the authority £21,000 a year.

But Moreton West and Saughall Massie Conservative councillor Chris Blakeley, who is a member of the MITA board, described the planned increases as 'obscene'.

He told the Globe: "If they are approved, I want to make it clear that the board's Conservative members from Wirral will not take an increase.

"I just find it obscene and outrageous that these figures are being recommended.

"I can't believe that, at a time of austerity, there are plans to give the chair of committees an increase of almost 70 per cent.

"The recommendations would probably have been okay 10 years ago, but not with the state of the country at the moment.

Cllr Blakeley continued: "When I met with Dr Hall I made it very plain that there should be no overall increase in the amounts paid in total.

"His recommendations clearly don’t relate to that at all.

"I sincerely hope that no-one on the authority will take a penny more than they receive now."

A Merseytravel spokesman said: "Merseytravel is not in a position to comment until the members of the ITA have met to consider the report next week.

"However, it is noted that Dr Declan Hall's recommendation offers a saving of £21,000 per annum on the previous scheme that was agreed in June 2011."