Latest news with #Councillors
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Halifax mayor accused of spreading misinformation on his role
Earlier this week, Andy Fillmore said he reports to the CAO for Halifax. Multiple councillors and the CAO herself say that's not true. Haley Ryan has the story.
BreakingNews.ie
22-07-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Fire at Co Mayo site set for major social housing development
A fire has caused extensive damage at a derelict building in Ballina, Co Mayo, on Monday night. The incident occurred on Kevin Barry Street at the property opposite the bus station, with the fire breaking out shortly after 9 pm. Advertisement Emergency services were alerted after the alarm was raised and the blaze was brought under control. The Western People reports Councillors had last week granted Part 8 planning permission for 31 social housing units at this site. The street remains closed off to traffic this morning, and diversions are in place. Gardaí have said no injuries have been reported at this time.
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Task Force: Big pay raise for councillors, no pay raise for mayor, and maybe severance pay
The Council Resourcing Review Task Force (CRRTF) is leaning towards a substantial increase to councillors' base pay, but making no change to the model used to compensate the mayor. And the four-member task force remains divided over the issue of providing severance pay to a politician when they exit their seat on council following an election loss or choosing not to run again. The task force is awaiting data from Statistics Canada about full-time income in London, which will form the basis of their recommendation about council compensation, resourcing, and expenses. Currently, councillors receive the median (50th percentile) full-time income in London as measured by Statistics Canada. In 2025 that's equal to $67,420. On Friday, task force members discussed paying councillors somewhere between the 65th and 75th percentile— an amount that could be in the ballpark of $90,000. They'd receive an additional 4 per cent for chairing a standing committee, or an extra eight per cent if chosen to be the deputy mayor or budget chair. 'It's not a typical job, and so it probably shouldn't have a typical salary,' explained Task Force Chair Martin Horak after the meeting. 'A councillor in this city, with its $1 billion-plus budget, is a major responsibility. It's a complex, very demanding job. Councillors who do this job well are often working way over 40 hours a week.' 'With respect to mayoral pay, we think it's already there,' Horak added about the task force's decision not to discuss changing the mayor's compensation model. The mayor's base pay in 2025 is $163,188. The province added Strong Mayor Powers to the mayor's role this term. Those additional responsibilities include preparing a draft municipal budget, propose by-laws, and appoint or dismiss the City Manager and other senior managers. 'In some ways, [Strong Mayor Powers] can lessen their workload because it makes them more able to make quick decisions,' argued Horak. 'There's less of that need when you're using your strong mayor powers to spend all the time working behind the scenes building coalitions.' The question of compensating council members leaving their seat on council divided the task force. Horak told colleagues that many similar cities offer severance pay, averaging about one month of pay for every year of service on council. It's intended to smooth the transition back to regular employment after a period of public service. Horak argued against the practice. 'I don't really think it's appropriate,' he told colleagues on the task force. 'It sort of smacks of paying you if you lose.' He argued that London should continue to view a seat on council as a full-time role, not full-time employment, so traditional expectations of severance wouldn't apply. Horak added he wouldn't be comfortable with former politicians, 'remaining on the public dime when you are not elected.' In January 2024, council boosted the deputy mayor and budget chair positions by 12.5 per cent to recognize the additional workload. Those positions each earn $75,847 this year. Total benefits collected by each councillor add more than $20,000 annually to each member's compensation, including the option of receiving a vehicle allowance/reimbursement (up to $2,124). Councillors were also reimbursed for eligible expenses up to a maximum $13,500 in 2025. Fees to attend certain municipal conferences were also paid by city hall. The task force expects to have the StatsCan data in time for its next meeting in September.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Authority plans anti-social behaviour clampdown
A plan to clampdown on anti-social behaviour in a town, including aggressive begging and street drinking, could be rolled out if backed by councillors. Reading council wants to introduce a borough-wide public spaces protection order (PSPO), which the authority said will make it easier to stop nuisance and is supported by police. It said it knew of 116 reports of aggressive begging in the Berkshire town between June and December last year, with a "very small cohort" of people regularly targeting vulnerable people for money. The borough council said it has learned from using a PSPO between 2018 and 2021, which it said was "not as effective as had been hoped" because of a lack of enforcement. It said "problematic street drinking" is "prevalent" across the town and that the PSPO would help council staff and police enforce rules on street drinking which they are currently "unable to do". The order would also help the council stop and prevent dog fouling across Reading's 20 parks and other informal open spaces, the authority said. It said it would use it as an "additional tool" to stop anti-social behaviour and would be used first as a "preventative measure…to request that the behaviour is stopped before a breach occurs". The council hopes the anti-social use of e-scooters and e-bikes – which it said is the "most commonly complained about issue across the borough – could also be alleviated by the PSPO. Councillors will be asked for their opinions on the potential rollout at a meeting on Wednesday. If approved, a consultation on the measures could start on 21 July, with feedback with the police potentially completed by the end of October. A report could be referred back to councillors by mid-November. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook and X. Designs for town's new central library released New replacement driving test centre set to open Town centre offices to be converted into flats Jane Austen plaque installed at former school Reading Borough Council
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Nigel Farage ducks questions about MP who quit Reform amid probe into 'business propriety' as leader tells councillors to behave 'with integrity'
Nigel Farage today ducked questions about an ex-Reform MP being investigated over Covid loans worth £70,000 - as he warned the party's cohort of councillors to behave 'with integrity'. Mr Farage made a visit to Kent days after James McMurdock resigned the party whip amid allegations that he took out government loans during the Covid pandemic for businesses with no employees. The MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock said 'all' of his 'business dealings' complied with regulations, hours before the Sunday Times published a story alleging two businesses connected to him took out loans totalling £70,000. His decision to surrender the whip means Reform has gone from having five to four MPs for the second time in a year since the general election. Appearing alongside the Reform leader of Kent County Council Mr Farage did not answer when asked by reporters whether the allegations faced by Mr McMurdock were an embarrassment for his party. 'Let's find out the truth, I know as much about this right now as you do.' said Mr Farage. He added that he would be heading to Westminster later on Monday to find out more about the situation. It also comes as Reform faces claims it is spreading 'chaos and confusion' in councils across the UK that it controls. Addressing KCC Reform councillors on the steps inside County Hall, Mr Farage said: 'Behaving with integrity is a responsibility upon all of you, although that doesn't mean you all have to become stuffed shirts or anything like that. 'You are holders of public office you are responsible and how we behave matters.' Later, he told the PA news agency: 'Yes I think, I think that when you become elected at any level you have a responsibility, 'I'm not asking for stuffed shirts, I'm not asking for boring people. I'm just saying think, think to all of these people here who were basically in 'civvy street' in political terms before May 1, just think before you act.' Mr Farage was keen to distance himself from the absence of Reform candidate vetting processes for the 2024 general election, and said he 'can't apologise' for it. He said: 'I came in, I inherited this situation where hundreds of candidates who stood in the last general election had not gone through a vetting process. 'I said on July 5, the day after the election last year, that we would now professionalise. 'We put 1,630 candidates into the field on May 1, more than any other party with very, very few rows or arguments – so the vetting process worked for this year, I can't apologise for what happened before.' It was announced on Saturday that Mr McMurdock had 'removed the party whip from himself pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that are likely to be published by a national newspaper'. Reform Chief Whip Lee Anderson said the MP had quit due to allegations surrounding his 'business propriety during the pandemic'. McMurdock, 39, who was previously jailed for attacking an ex-girlfriend, left Reform on Saturday, seemingly after being approached with allegations by The Sunday Times newspaper. It alleged he took out the maximum loan of £50,000 for firm JAM Financial Limited, which had no employees and almost no assets until the pandemic. In order to qualify for a £50,000 loan from the government, companies had to have a turnover of more than £200,000. Documents on Companies House showed how the firm's 'current assets' jumped from just £125 in 2019 to £50,137 in 2020, the year of the loan. After receiving the money, McMurdock allegedly then resigned from the company and gave his shares to his mother. A second company, Gym Live Health and Fitness Limited, was a dormant company until the end of January in 2020 yet borrowed £20,000 during the pandemic, for which it would have had to have a turnover of £100,000. Neither company has filed accounts or annual corporate filings since the loans. Both companies were set to be struck from the register, meaning they would cease to exist - but this was paused by a complaint from a third party, thought to be in relation to the outstanding loans. McMurdock has also been accused by the paper of breaching parliamentary rules by failing to declare that he is a director of the Gym business on his register of interests. He added on X on Saturday: 'I confirmed to the [Sunday Times] journalist that all my business dealings had always been conducted fully within the law and in compliance with all regulations and that appropriately qualified professionals had reviewed all activity confirming the same. 'As a precautionary measure, and for the protection of Reform UK, I have asked to have the whip suspended temporarily.' McMurdock was elected as MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock at the July 4 general election.
