LEWISHAM: Mayor increases cabinet to make £60m cuts (From News Shopper)

LEWISHAM: Mayor increases cabinet to make £60m cuts

7:30am Wednesday 19th May 2010 in News By Mark Chandler

"Mean": Sir Steve Bullock

HE NEEDS to make £60m worth of cuts but that has not stopped a mayor appointing two new cabinet members - each claiming an extra £15,298 a year.

Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock’s nominations for his new cabinet, which will increase in size from seven to nine people, the maximum allowed, will be confirmed at the AGM on May 26.

Among them are Councillors Joan Millbank and Damien Egan who take on the new roles of member for the Third Sector and member for Strategy and Communications respectively.

Cabinet members get an allowance of £15,298 on top of their £9,812 basic rate.

But Sir Steve dismissed the idea that the cabinet increase was insensitive at a time when £60m of council cuts are planned over the next three years.

He said: “Compared to most London boroughs we’re quite mean.”

Sir Steve said of the third sector role: “It’s about working with all of those community organisations right across the borough on a whole range of issues and recognising just how important that sector is.

“It’s something I’ve kind of been doing myself and realised it needed more time.”

He said a member for communications was needed to keep people informed of “the bigger picture”.

But opposition Lib Dem councillors have labelled the new post “cabinet member for spin” and are calling on the members to take a 5 per cent pay cut.

Leader Cllr Chris Maines said: “A pay cut for cabinet members doesn't make a huge difference to the budget, but right now every little helps.

“It would be a good sign that they wanted to share the pain of ordinary residents, who are struggling to make ends meet."

And he dismissed the choices as the “same old faces”.

Elsewhere in the nominations, Cllr Alan Smith is set to become Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Regeneration while Cllr Paul Maslin takes over as Cabinet Member for Resources.