Councillors on Welshpool Town Council have again voted not to receive any allowances – despite being told they have to.
An Independent Review Panel For Wales Annual Report says that it is to become mandatory for the Town Council to pay allowances to members.
Under the new rules the council has to pay expenses of £150 a year to each councillor, £500 for up to five councillors for extra duties and an allowance of £403 per month for councillors to cover the cost of additional care for dependent children or adults.
Town Clerk Robert Robinson told the council he would need to budget for an additional £77,000 per year to cover any potential claims but the council voted unanimously to tell the Review Panel what to do with their report.
The Mayor Councillor Steve Kaye descried the report as “ridiculous” and Councillor Heather Sherlock said members had the opportunity to opt out by putting their views in writing.
Councillor Hazel Evans said she would not accept any payment and Councillors Phil Pritchard and Alison Davies said the council should chose not to accept the findings of the report.
The Mayor described the authors of the report as buffoons. “This is an utterly stupid report,” he said. “Where do these people come from. They are absolute buffoons if they think they can impose such costs on town and community councils. We are already battling to keep the service going that we have at the moment.”