Almost half Southend councillors made no expenses claims in 2007-08
As the furore over MPs’ expenses rages on, the expenses claimed by local councillors has also come under scrutiny.
Councillors, unless they are leaders or deputy leaders of the council, are not paid a salary, whereas MPs are.
In Southend, just under half of councillors claimed no expenses at all for both 2007-08 and 2008-09. These are councillors Aylen, Carlile, Cushion, Flewitt, Habermel, Holdcroft, Luty, and Price (Conservative); Grimwade, Longley and Roast (Liberal Democrat); Borton, Dandridge, Garne George, Norman, Robinson and Royston (Labour); and Assenheim, Terry, Velmurugan, Weaver and Woodley (independent).
Of those councillors who did claim expenses in the financial year 2007-08, those who claimed the most were Cllr Foster (Con), with £2,802.28; Cllr Lamb (Con) with £2,085.04; and Cllr Garston (Con) with £1,154.28.
In 2008-09, the top two claimants – the only two to claim £1,000 or more – were Cllr Lamb, with £2,242.00, and Cllr Hadley (Con), with £1,270.40.

