Councillors furious as leader stamps out postage expenses

Published on Wednesday 14 October 2009 10:15

COUNCILLORS in West Lothian have been banned from using stamps in a bid to save £10,000 a year.

The local authority is tightening its belt as it faces up to budget cuts of 45 million over the coming years, and local elected representatives have now been banned from sending out "mail shots" to their constituents.

But opposition councillors have hit out at the move and say the SNP-led administration is in fact trying to keep the public in the dark over unpopular decisions it makes.

Council leader Peter Johnston said: "We have now removed the option for councillors to send out unsolicited mail shots. This in no way restricts a councillor's ability to communicate directly with constituents who have raised issues.

"Given that surgeries are advertised in the local press and on the council website, this is very poor value for public money.

"Indeed, if every councillor wanted to do this, our costs would go through the roof.

"It does, however, prevent councillors from using the public purse to fund self-publicity stunts."

Councillor Johnston was referring to Labour's Livingston North Councillor Bruce Ferrie, who sent out 1,000 letters to residents about an amendment his party had put forward at a council meeting.

The council leader believes the letter had political content and should have been paid for by Cllr Ferrie's party.

He said: "I'm all in favour of councillors keeping their constituents up to date with local politics but this must not be done by using public money."

Cllr Ferrie angrily defended the letter. He said: "This SNP council axed money from a community project in Knightsridge without proper consultation and I had to respond to the hundreds of inquiries through the letter.

"It exposed the two SNP councillors who voted against the community's wishes for sports provision in Knightsridge.

"That is what has upset Peter Johnston. The letter I sent was non-political and informative and was cleared by council officials.

"This decision is the last straw. The SNP-led administration has put in restriction after restriction because it doesn't want councillors to speak to their communities.

"How am I supposed to tell people what's happening? It is a slight on democracy."

A 50 per cent reduction in costs for councillors and officials attending conferences and courses is also in place at the council, which could save 100,000.

Independent Armadale councillor Stuart Borrowman said: "Mr Johnston may be interested to know that I have scarcely seen the 'local' SNP representative at community council, parent council, community centre or public meetings since she was elected two-and-a-half years ago.

"Perhaps she hasn't been writing to constituents."