Whilst the nation is facing economic uncertainty and people are worried about their jobs, Enfield’s Labour Leader Nesil Caliskan is proposing to raise councillor allowances by thousands of pounds. New proposals increase basic allowances by £159 yet the big rises are in Special Responsibility Allowances.

• Any member who serves on the North London Waste Authority is in for a £7,608 increase if they don’t already receive an Special Responsibility Allowance.
• The Labour Chair of the Pensions and Policy Committee is in for a rise of £6,708.
• Another Associate Cabinet Member post is being created meaning another Labour member will earn £7,608 extra with many having no clue what an ACM actually does…..

Council leader Caliksan recently said that the council was facing “financial catastrophe” due to COVID-19. The council is cyber-voting on the pay rise tonight – let’s see if the ‘cash strapped’ councillors can find the money to line their own pockets…

This all comes on the day Keir Starmer is warning of a “black hole of around £10bn” in council finances. That hole could be a little smaller if Labour councillors stopped giving themselves massive pay rises…