THURROCK Council is proposing to employ “political assistants” with salaries up to £40,000 at a time when it is cutting up to 250 jobs reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The proposal, which will be discussed by next week’s full council, would see political assistants appointed to political groups with more than six members to aid in research and support.
This would mean both the Conservatives and the Labour groups would each have one.
A report to council said: “Local authority political assistants are local government employees who undertake research and provide administrative support for the main political groups within an authority.
“The existence of these posts allows a separation of professional officer and political roles and can enable the provision of advice to councillors that local authority officers are prevented from providing.”
Some councillors are said to believe political assistants would “help their political groups keep abreast of government policy better and improve their ability to engage with meetings and activities in the council more fully”.
The report sets out that the cost of each post could be as high as £40,000 but will creep up to £50,000 when various on costs such as National Insurance,superannuation and licences, are added in. Councillors are warned agreeing the report will increase the budget gaps by about 100,000 and require further reductions in staff
from other services.
The council is having to make sweeping cuts in jobs and has launched a “fire sale” of council properties and land in order to plug a £34.3million financial black hole over the next two years.
Labour yesterday slammed the timing of the scheme and said it would not support it.
John Kent, leader of the opposition Labour group, said: “ Whatever and whenever the origins of this idea were, now is not the time to implement it.
“It is incredibly insensitive to bring this suggestion forward at a time when hundreds of people who work for the council – in roles that really matter on the front line of services – are face losing their jobs.
“Thurrock Council’s Labour Group will be opposing this.”
The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 sets out the framework regulating the appointment and conduct of political assistant. Political assistants or advisers are permitted to speak to the public with the intention of affecting support for a political party, but their actions must not give the impression that they are acting as the representative of the political party.
“Political advisers are also able to publish written work or other material intended to affect public support for a political party, but they must not give the impression that the publication is authorised by the political party. These rules were adopted to address concerns about political impartiality, conflict of interest and the use of taxpayer funds for political purposes in councils.
