Councillors' expenses tip the £1million mark-again (From Western Telegraph)

Councillors' expenses tip the £1million mark-again

9:30am Saturday 7th July 2012 in Milford Haven

MILFORD Haven’s six county councillors received more than £100,000 in allowances and travel costs according to latest figures.

Pembrokeshire County Council published the annual list of members allowances and expenses for 2001/12 this week with the total tipping over the £1million mark for the fifth year in a row.

The total cost of the cabinet was £280,194 and the cost of all members - including Special Responsibility Allowances (SRA) and travel - was £1,036,232 a reduction on last year’s £1,051,315.

The total cost of the six Milford Haven councillors was £101,014.

Councillors Danny Fellows, Anne Hughes, Stanley Hudson, Rhys Sinnett, Mike Stoddart and Viv Stoddart all received the basic allowance of £13, 473.

Mr Fellows, who did not stand for re-election in Milford Haven East at this year’s election, also received £3, 837 SRA for his role as chairman of the children and family scrutiny committee. He stood down from the role following scathing reports into council safeguarding procedures last year.

Anne Hughes, who was not re-elected to the Milford Haven Central seat, took on a cabinet role following the reports which led to the education and child safeguarding cabinet positions being separated.

Mrs Hughes received an extra £8,854 for this position.

Also receiving a SRA of £5,042 was Cllr Rhys Sinnett, of Milford Haven West, who sat as interim chairman of the safeguarding overview and scrutiny committee set up last year, a role he has taken on this term.

Chairman of the Conservative group at County Hall, Stanley Hudson received SRA of £2,951 and was the only Milford councillor to claim travel expenses, totalling £474.

Hakin and Hubberston councillors Mike and Vivien Stoddart received a lower basic allowance of £13,233 because they chose to share the £500 IT/communications and office support supplement included because they share a computer.

Neyland councillors Simon Hancock and Maureen Molyneux received a total of £26,946 combined in basic allowance. Cllr Hancock claimed £370 travel costs and Mrs Molyneux, beaten by Cllr Paul Miller in May, claimed £176.

St Ishmaels councillor Martin Davies received a basic allowance of £13,473 and Burton member Cllr David Wildman received an extra SRA of £14,756 for his cabinet role and claimed £1,314 in travel costs.

Former council leader Cllr John Davies received £46,827 which includes £13,743 basic allowance, £29,513 SRA and £3,841 travel costs – the highest claim for travel of all members.

Deputy leaders Cllr Jamie Adams - now leader of the council - and Cllr John Allen- Mirehouse received a total of £28,966 and £30,339 respectively with Cllr Allen-Mirehouse claiming £1,373 travel costs.

The council said that that travel costs of all members - which include mileage payments and bridge tolls - were in line with last year and that as in previous years, members have not claimed subsistence allowances for food costs.