Row blows up over cut in payments to opposition leaders on Arun District Council

The amount has been been slashed from 10,650 in the past year to just 3,917. It was agreed by councillors even though their independent review panel suggested a much smaller cut to 9,369.

The Liberal Democrat group leader will receive the 3,917 compared with the previous 6,847, while the leader of the Labour group has seen his 2,282 allowance wiped out. The Independent leader's 1,521 has also disappeared.

Liberal Democrat and Labour members reacted with fury to what they claimed was an attempt to silence them.

Lib Dem group leader Simon McDougall said: "To my mind, what is being attempted to be put through tonight is nothing more than jobs for the boys and a downgrading of the role of the opposition of this council and an attempt to eradicate the opposition altogether.

Mike Northeast, the Labour group leader, said: "The leader of this council seems hellbent on doing away with any opposition to her and her cabinet."

Dr James Walsh said: "This is nothing less than an attempt to turn this into a totalitarian council.

I feel passionately about this.

"It is strangling the opposition by cutting off its lifeblood and reducing allowances paid to the opposition. This is the worst debate I have been to in my 30 years on this council."

Council leader Gillian Brown said: "We looked at comparisons with local authorities in our group of councils and for every single authority, apart from New Forest, we are paying more than double to the opposition leaders.

"By cutting down that opposition figure, we are able to put a small increase on the basic allowance for all councillors."

She defended the change from the panel's recommendation. "We have accepted the bulk of the panel's suggestions. Only four out of the 20 recommendations have been changed."

Fellow cabinet member Roger Elkins said other councils such as Havant '“ at 1,200 '“ and Fareham, with 3,100, paid much less to their oppositions' leaders.

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