The political manoeuvrings at Salford City Council continue, this time trying to stop the Salford Conservative Party hiring a Political Assistant Graduate Trainee at half the price of the Salford City Mayor's own Political Assistant, Charlie Winstanley, who is paid £34,986 from public money.
At the last full meeting of Salford Council, there was a report on the entitlement of both the Labour Party and Conservative Party to a Political Assistant on a salary of £34,986.
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, and Deputy Mayor, John Merry, both urged the Tories not to take up the entitlement, adding that the Labour Group wouldn't be employing a Political Assistant.
Conservative Leader, Councillor Les Turner pointed out that, under a different piece of legislation, the City Mayor already had a Political Assistant, while proposing the recommendation, which was seconded without any dissent - and "agreed and noted".*
That, everyone thought, was that, and the Salford Council HR department drafted and placed an advert for a Political Assistant Graduate Trainee, to work for the Salford Conservative Party on a wage of £17,364... "You will provide fantastic day to day support to our Conservative Party Elected Members, through research, analysis, administration and passion" etc. The deadline for applications was 15th July.
However, the Labour Group is now trying to reverse the decision and has tabled a motion for tomorrow's meeting of the Council to "Reconsider the decision, made by Council on 17 June 2020 to establish political assistant posts and determine whether to approve the principle of establishing and appointing to political assistant posts within the framework of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989...
"...The report has been brought back to Council for reconsideration because it appears that there may have been some misunderstanding amongst members as to whether Council had the ability to decide not to create such posts once a political group requests their creation..." it adds.
Strictly speaking, once the full Council has made a decision it cannot be reversed for six months, as in Rule 17 of the constitution, but the report going to tomorrow's meeting cites another bit of the constitution stating that Rule 17 can be suspended once a vote has been taken to do so.
Basically the Labour Group is arguing that there wasn't a formal vote on the appointment of Political Assistants, they wouldn't have voted for it, and now want to vote to reverse the decision. Which leaves Conservative Party Leader, Les Turner, furious...
"It seems to me that the City Mayor is quite happy to have his man working for him, Charlie Winstanley, but is not happy to have one working for us at half the price and to give someone a job with no admin costs to the Council" he says.
"It also seems that we're entitled to a Political Assistant but only if the Council votes for it, yet the Mayor is entitled to it without a vote you have to wonder!" he fumes "They don't want one because they've already got one!
"The Council's HR department put the advert out and we were all set for the final interviews at the end of July" he adds "I'm beginning to wonder what sort of legal people we've got at the Council. We were assured that we were entitled to it...and I was led to believe it was our right."
Of course, with the Labour Party having a huge majority in Salford the decision to reverse the previous decision is a formality...as yet another embarrassing political manoeuvre unfolds...
Meanwhile, at the same Council meeting last month, councillors clashed over Labour Councillor Mike McCusker and his appointment to a committee despite having a Standards Hearing hanging over him for inappropriate social media posts. That Standards meeting should have taken place months ago, and then in June but has now been pushed back yet again until the end of July.
* For a full background on the Political Assistants saga see previous Salford Star articles - click here and click here
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