'Councillors' allowances are for their time and expenses'

According to a story on page 2, all of Brighton and Hove City councillors now receive a basic salary of £13,360.60.

Sorry, but they don’t. One of the definitions of the word salary is "the amount of money that an employee is paid to do their job".

However being an elected councillor is not and never has been "a job" and there is, therefore, no salary for being one. Instead what they do receive is an allowance to reimburse them for time and expenses incurred while on council business.

The problem with using the word "salary" in this context is that there is a danger that the concept of performing a service to the public, which is what standing for election in local politics should be all about, will go right out of the window and it will become, in effect, just another job like any other. That would, in my view, be a sad day for local democracy.

Turning on to page 12 a headline read "Police patrolling castle after audacious raid". Perhaps if the force had done their patrolling beforehand one million pounds worth of treasures would not have got nicked in a late-night raid. A phrase containing the words "locking stable doors" and "horses escaping" comes to mind.

Eric Waters

Lancing