New Conservative administration in Devon starts saving money

The Conservatives have already shown there will be a change of direction on Devon County Council since they took control a fortnight ago. The bloated councillor allowances which rose sharply under the previous Lib Dem administration are being cut by £80,000 a year.

Savings include a freeze on basic allowances, scrapping a scrutiny committee which paid allowances to its chairman and vice chairman and which duplicated other committees,scrapping allowances for six councillors to support the executive councillors, reducing the leader's special responsibility allowance from  £27,425 a year to £25,000 and that of the deputy leader from £21,940 to £20,000.

Of course the £80,000 saving in the context of the total Council budget is tiny. That is not the point. By making savings themselves the Council leadership will be emboldened in seeking them elsewhere. The new Council leader Cllr John Hart has pledged to "getting tough on administrative costs and waste wherever we can."