NEWSFLASH - Councillors are not starving - phew

We know that many of our readers at this blog often write to express concern that their local Councillors are getting paid enough for their work for the community.

Us old duffers remember the good old days when Councillors actually had some power (ie they made decisions) and were paid nothing.

Thanks to a local resident and FOI, here are the expenses paid to Barnet's Councillors for February 2007. Total for one month is £76,000. However at a recent Council Meeting it was decided to hike expenses, in some cases above the amount that the independent panel had advised.

Why not ask your local Councillor what they actually do for this money? They would welcome sharing the information with you. If not ask them under the Freedom of Information Act and they must tell you their diary!

(Just to note that these figures below are the fixed allowances on top of that expenses can be claimed for office furniture, equipment and stationary, attendance and travel to many conferences, free postage etc.)

Councillor Feb 2007 expenses
Freer, Michael Whitney £3,058.32
Offord, Matthew £2,301.59
Marshall, John £2,175.50
Harper, Andrew £2,175.50
Hillan, Lynne £2,112.45
Braun, Maureen £2,087.18
Moore, Alison £2,036.73
Hart, Helena £1,923.23
Bulmer, Fiona £1,923.23
Finn, Anthony £1,923.23
Cohen, Melvin £1,923.23
Coleman, Brian £1,923.23
Scannell, Joan £1,784.46
Tambourides, Andreas £1,721.41
Prentice, Yvonne £1,645.69
Gordon, Brian £1,544.86
Palmer, Monroe £1,544.78
Burton, Terence £1,473.01
Thomas, Daniel Cliev £1,370.59
Yannakoudakis, Marina £1,276.28
Harris, Christopher £1,207.91
Davies, Jeremy £1,166.41
Salinger, Brian £1,166.41
Greenspan, Eva £1,153.73
Salinger, Catherine £1,153.73
McFadyen, Linda £1,153.73
Casey, Wayne £1,040.23
Tierney James £1,014.96
McGuirk Katherine £1,014.96
Sodha Ansuya £1,014.96
Rayner Hugh Robert £1,014.96
Cohen Jack £977.19
Campbell Anita £977.19
Rams Robert £923.10
Rajput Sachin £901.46
Farrier Claire £901.46
Schneiderman Alan £901.46
Rawlings Barry £901.46
Weider Richard £901.46
Houston Ross £901.46
Hutton Anne £901.46
Johnson Julie £901.46
Hart John Robert £901.46
Palmer Susette £901.46
Cooke Geoffrey Nic £901.46
Naghar Jazmin £787.96
Slocombe Agnes £787.96
Macdonald Duncan £787.96
Zubairi Zakia £787.96
Webb Daniel £787.96
Depala Mukesh £787.96
Chopra Danish £787.96
Rogers Colin £787.96
Perry Bridget Tere £787.96
Cornelius Richard £787.96
O-Macauley Charlie £787.96
Cohen Dean Simon B £787.96
Sargeant Gillian £787.96
Margo Caroline Sar £787.96
Rutter Lisa £787.96
McNeil Andrew £787.96
Tambourides Joanna £562.83 (was only a cllr for part of the month)