Labour’s “cut and paste” public service staff pay claim branded “lazy”

Liberal Democrat councillor Adam Carter criticised the ruling Labour group at Wednesday’s full Rotherham Borough Council meeting during a debate on a national motion demanding better pay.

Cllr Carter said that instead of writing a motion calling for better wages which was specific to Rotherham, Labour chiefs had just “cut and pasted” a national version of the demands.

He said that a Google search had shown him that other councils had used exactly the same wording to support the wage call.

Cllr Carter said that just copying the motion was “lazy” of the Labour group and showed it was “out of ideas”.

He added: “I am sure we could have created a motion that was Rotherham’s own. It deserves better.”

Cllr Denise Lelliott said that the motion had been copied because it was part of a national campaign.

The plea condemning what some councillors called a lowering of the standard of living of public sector workers because of the government’s one per cent pay cap was supported by all members with one abstention.

Cllr Emma Hoddinott, who proposed the motion, said: “The people we rely on to deliver vital public services are £4,000 a year worse off.”

She criticised a decision this week by the government to end the pay restriction to certain branches of the public services, for example the police.

Cllr Hoddinott said: “There must be no selective lifting of the public sector pay cap. No sector is more important than the rest.

“The cap must go for everyone and it must go now.”

Cllr John Turner said he would support the motion but wondered how the extra wages would be financed.

He said: “I want to give them all a rise but I am concrened where we get the money from.”