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Real-world salaries
• COUNCILLOR Barry Edwards’ petty, mean jibes at the Lib Dems’ salaries reveal the real motivation for Islington Labour Party’s hyped-up crusade for free school meals and the £100 rebate for pensioners (Real-world decisions, March 20). The Lib Dems were faced unfairly with huge costs from an England Standards Board hearing. To avoid such a situation arising again, provisions for a fighting fund were covered by higher salaries.
Councillor James Kempton’s stance in achieving the progress that has resulted in Islington Council services being awarded a four-star rating, the highest by the Audit Commission, justifies salaries that are commensurate with the vision and hard work necessary to bring about such a turnaround.
This is the real world. Councils cannot be run successfully as if they are part-time, voluntary, charitable organisations. Nowhere have I read in the Tribune’s letters pages a criticism of the cynicism and greed of Labour Home Secretary Jacqui Smith claiming a £116,000 allowance for a second home.
If the Islington Labour Party had done its homework it would have presented a sensible, reasonable benefit programme of free meals and rebates amenable to the Lib Dems instead of advocating throwing money around, which is always a vote-catcher. Councillor Andrew Cornwell’s nonsensical and questionable behaviour would have been totally invalidated.
Cllr Edwards’ beating his own drum for taking a salary reduction is laughable. The previous Islington Labour Party regime was characterised by sustained, unendurable noise levels, a community awash with drugs, a library system so decrepit it could justifiably be labelled an underdeveloped Third World institution and a £720million public debt.
SHEILA MOBERLY
Packington Street, N1
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