Are the councillors and council officers still getting their free teas costing circa £23,000 pa
Dear Stockport Borough Council,
In the light of this report in our local paper:-
"Teachers will give extra road safety lessons to make up for council cuts to crossing patrols, the Central area committee heard.
The claims were made as members at the meeting, on Thursday called for a review of the spending cuts that have seen 23 lollipop ladies axed. Edgeley and Cheadle Heath are areas that have been particularly hit.
It was also said that one headteacher first heard her crossing patrol would be cut by letter on the last day of term. It asked her to be responsible for checking the buttons on the pelican crossing worked as of September.
Labour councillor Sheila Bailey said: "This was the first communication she had received about the crossing outside her school - she replied it wasn't the job of the headteacher it was the job of crossing patrol staff.
"The number of road safety officers has been reduced from just over four, with part time places, to just over one.
"One solution that has been given is that teachers take on the role of teaching children to cross the road. Teachers have enough to do."
Given the above I would like to ask, as I have done several times before in meetings, whether senior council officers and councillors (who accuse me of wasting council money by asking questions) would now like to forego their perk of free committee teas which cost circa £23,000 per annum? Most of the Executive Councillors don't work. Why don't they have a meal before they leave home or bring a sandwich?
The Executive Councillors have refused to cut their allowances by 10% as was suggested by opposition councillors. I would love to know what sacrifices they are making in this town with weeds in the civil flowerbeds, no public toilets, transport for disabled children cut and massive cut backs in lollipop ladies.
Sorry to be wasting council money by asking this question.
Yours faithfully,
Sheila Oliver
Dear Mrs Oliver,
Thank you for your request for information below which has been given
reference FOI 4712. Please quote this on any correspondence regarding your
request.
Stockport Council will respond to your request within 20 working days. If
there will be a charge for disbursements e.g. photocopying in order to
provide the information, we will inform you as soon as possible to see if
you wish to proceed; however such charges are usually waived if they
amount to less than £10.
Yours sincerely,
Corporate Information Services
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Dear FOI Officer,
This from the excellent Stockport Express this week:-
http://menmedia.co.uk/stockportexpress/n...
Dog waste bins in parks are being scrapped at a cost of £41,000. We could keep at least half of these if the free councillor and council officer teas were scrapped (costing £23,000 per annum). Most of the councillors don't work. Let them have a meal before they leave home, bring a sandwich or, heaven forfend, pay for their committee teas. I have been asking this for quite some time and Councilllor Goddard, tossing his glossy hair, seemed to imply it's - because they are worth it. Some of us may beg to differ.
Yours sincerely,
Sheila Oliver
Dear Mrs Oliver,
I am writing in response to your request for information below (Ref 4712).
The response to your request has been prepared by the relevant Council
service and is as follows:
Further to your FOI request, a committee tea is provided for any
Councillor or officer attending an evening meeting should they require
one. Meetings can finish as late as 10 pm. Whether a Councillor or officer
has a committee tea is a personal matter.
If you are unhappy with the way we have handled your request you are
entitled to ask for an internal review. Any internal review will be
carried out by a senior member of staff who was not involved with your
original request. To ask for an internal review, contact
[1][email address] in the first instance.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of any internal review, you are
entitled to complain to the Information Commissioner. To do so, contact:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
[2]www.ico.gov.uk
01625 545 745
Yours sincerely,
Corporate Information Services
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Dear FOI Officer,
Thank you. So, no-one has even now considered stopping this or making them pay. Some of those poor mites are only on £175,000 per annum.
By the way, I go to council meetings. A lot start a six and can often be over by 6.10, 6.20 or even 7pm.
They just say - Agreed! Agreed! Agreed! because they have decided everything beforehand anyway
Yours sincerely,
Sheila Oliver
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alan m dransfield (Account suspended) left an annotation ()
Sheila
A least they didnt consider this request as vexatious??!!
Shame on you for suggesting the dog pooh collection be paid by stopping of cream teas for the poor councillors.
Robin Hood come back all is forgiven