'Fat Cats Stay Fat'

Yet again another opportunity was wasted when Kingston Council failed to reduce council officer’s pay at last month’s Senior Staff Panel. The decision not to reduce senior staff pay provoked a strong display of disapproval from Conservative Leader Cllr Howard Jones and Cllr David Cunningham.

Cllr Jones:“an opportunity was wasted for the size of the Strategic Leadership Team to be reconsidered, with a view to it being slimmed down and for senior officer’s contracts to be re-negotiated.”

The decision not to reduce senior officer pay comes against the backdrop of cuts to adult social care and hikes in fees for the most vulnerable. This has been compounded with residents of Kingston paying the highest council tax in London and the second highest in the whole of England.

Cllr Jones’ said this comes on top of revelations that the Lib-Dems have ‘freely’ spent £8 million of council taxpayer’s money on agency staff and consultancy since June 2010.