On 11 December Tory Norfolk council Leader Cliff Jordan moved a motion to increase councillor allowances from £9401 to £10,500 and his own allowance as Leader to £31,700 from £27,495. His total allowance increase is £102 a week.  Other allowances go up too. The total cost is £142,000.

It comes at a time when the council are consullting on Tory proposals to cut Children Centre Budgets that will lead to closures, cuts in bus subsidies that will mean the loss of bus routes to rural communities, reductions in road maintenance and gritting. Care charges are proposed to increase and council tax is likely to rise by 4.9%.

There is no special case for councillors when public sector workers have been denied a decent pay rise for many years. These double digit percentage increases are contrary to the views of the independent panel whose job it is to recommend appropriate levels of allowances for councillors.

Opposition councillors objected to the increase saying it was obnoxious, despicable and a kick in the teeth to Norfolk for councillors to line their pockets whilst cutting crucial services to vulnerable residents.

This petition is to put pressure on Tory councillors and those independents that supported them to reverse the decision. It is a matter or priority, integrity and respect.