Lewisham Conservatives pledge to cut the Mayoral salary and Councillor allowances by 20%.
In order to reduce the cost of politics in Lewisham, Ross Archer and Lewisham Conservatives plan to cut the Mayoral salary and councillor allowances by 20% and reinvest this in local services in the Borough that need it most.
Lewisham Councillors currently cost the Borough over £750,000 a year in allowances. Lewisham Conservatives propose to cut this cost by 20% and will use the money saved, to invest in frontline services. Lewisham Conservatives, if elected next year May, will also ask for a local boundary review to reduce the number of Councillors in the Borough.
The Mayor of Lewisham is the second highest paid Borough Mayor in London. The Mayor of Lewisham currently earns £77,721.96 a year.
Lewisham Conservatives also plan to ensure no Council Officer earns more than the Prime Minister. Lewisham’s former Chief Executive, Barry Quirk, who resigned last week earned pro-rata more than the Prime Minister. Finally, Ross Archer and Lewisham Conservatives plan to scrap the Council’s two paid Political Advisors who cost the Borough approximately £70,000 a year.
Ross Archer, the Conservative Candidate for Mayor, said:
“The cost of politics in Lewisham is too high. The Borough has an elected executive Mayoral system yet has 54 Councillors, paid its former Chief Executive more than the PM and pays for two full-time Political Advisors.
The Mayor of Lewisham is currently the second highest paid Borough Mayor in London. If elected next year I pledge to take a 20% salary cut and I am proud that all Conservative Council Candidates are committed to bringing forward a motion to reduce Councillor allowances by 20%.
I am committed to putting the people of Lewisham first, before politics. All money saved from cutting the cost of politics will be reinvested into frontline services such as re-opening Grove Park Youth Club, which the Labour-dominated Lewisham Council shamefully closed.
I hope all Mayoral Candidates will commit to cutting the cost of politics in Lewisham and putting the Borough’s residents first before their own political support.”