Allister Presses DUP on On-Going Double-Jobbing
16 September 2011
TUV Leader Jim Allister has challenged the DUP to explain why 21 DUP MLAs, who are also councillors, are still each drawing down the £10,000pa councillor’s allowance after the Party tabled an amendment to Dawn Purvis’ Bill on double jobbing calling for such payments to stop.
“Before they killed off the Purvis Bill the DUP tabled the following amendment "The Department of the Environment shall make regulations under section 36 of the Local Government Act ( Northern Ireland) 1972 reducing allowances payable to councillors who are members of the Assembly."
“Now, by the actions of their councillor MLAs still taking the £10,000pa council allowance (plus in several cases £2500pa for serving on DPPs), it would appear their proposal of Peter to end double pay was a mere expediency of the moment; an attempt to take the bad look off voting down the Purvis Bill.
“If they genuinely believed MLAs should not also be paid as councillors, then, why are they still taking the allowance? Why is that which they saw as wrong in 2010, when they tabled the amendment, now right? Is it that they now think they can get away with it because the focus has moved of their double-jobbing?”
