Sunday, 14 January 2018

Part-Time Councillor shouldn’t claim full allowances


My views on Councillor Paul Moon – the councillor who remains a Borough councillor in both West Lancashire and Wyre are well-known (see here and here), but given his recent performance, I am raising another concern.  


His attendance record at West Lancashire is only 33% over the past 6 months (15 July 2017-15 January 2018) having missed 4 out of 6 meetings in West Lancashire.


In July, when he missed the full council meeting in Ormskirk one of his colleagues informed me that he was on holiday.  Fair enough perhaps, we all deserve a holiday.  However, there are only 6 or 7 full council meetings each year – the most important meetings of the council and the dates are known many months in advance.  Councillors are summoned to Full Council Meetings, not invited, and holidays can easily be fitted around this duty.


On 28th September, he was absent again, this time from the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  This time the reason was that, not for the first time, he once again had a diary clash with a Wyre council meeting.  He must have felt that Wyre took precedence and attended the meeting of the council there that evening.  I’ve seen no explanation from Cllr Moon to his electors in Hesketh Bank as to why their interests played second fiddle to his electors north of the Ribble.


Quite evidently, Cllr Moon is not able to adequately fulfil his duties to both of his electorates.  His attendance continues to be among the worst on West Lancashire Borough council. 


Last year he took his full councillor allowances from both councils.  If he won’t do the decent thing and resign from one of these councillor positions, he should at least take a pay cut and take only a half allowance from each.  I’m not holding my breath. 

"American politicians do anything for money...English politicians take the money and won't do anything."  Stephen Leacock

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