Money, money, money 2023
27% pay rise for the brother of the Town Clerk, Town Clerk and ALL other civil servants (28 of them?) didn’t help taxpayers in Shirebrook. STC has just raised taxes again. Shirebrook is the highest-taxed parish council in Derbyshire- it’s true: I checked.
While waiting for this year’s audit to be published, I would like to show last year’s financial tables. For lack of time- on a quick, aggregate basis, only the “bigger” councils, with the population from Census 2021.
This time, I do not add commentary as I did in previous years (no time). However, I can sum up the situation in Shirebrook in one sentence: corruption, scandals, nepotism, disastrous/secret deals, 100% of Council Labour Party seats i.e. no change. Shirebrook residents just like it.
I have collected data from dozens of councils in Derbyshire. Shirebrook has the highest taxes. The highest spending on wages per capita. Shirebrook has a deficit and melting resources. Shirebrook is still considering a £12,000,000 debt. For leisure. Local government-managed, taxpayer-paid LEISURE. So STC can hire more family members and Labour Party activist families. And some poor randoms do all the work for those who got jobs from “family and party key”.
A similar plan (huge debt) in Creswell induced a 90% tax rise. Now, when a scandal blows up, residents face the fact that they gave power over the Council to the Labour Party councillor who already embezzled public funds in the past.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2001/may/04/regeneration.communities?CMP=share_btn_url
Now, the same councillor led the council into multimillion debt with rising interest rates. 90% tax rise. For Leisure! Ouch!
The Labour Party likes to promote those who disobey the law. Just look at Cllr Chris Kane in Shirerbook: he also broke the law (Standing Orders, to be exact). He kept his place as Leader of Shirebrook. Duncan McGregor embezzled some funds—he got the same job in Creswell. Failing upwards.
ANOTHER PAY RISE FOR TOWN CLERK FAMILY
I suspect Labour has just taken another tens of thousands of pounds out of the taxpayer’s pocket to satisfy another pay rise for STC staff. Some unions have been blackmailing them, but nowhere in the minutes is this “issue” commented on or “resolved.” I asked at the STC meeting about this pay rise, but as usual, I was told they would send me information, and they did not. They then threw me out of the room, claiming I was disruptive.
I just asked a question: How much pay raise did you give after you gave a 27% rise last year? Did the Town Clerk’s brother also get a pay rise? Did the Town Clerk? After all, the falsified Finance Report from 22/23 she published has already been swept under the carpet. Time for a reward!
I have to stop writing this article to read all the documents published by the STC. I want to find any concrete figures about the last pay rise. Back in five…
It took me a while longer than 5 minutes. I found some new and amazing facts. But no confirmation how dispute with unions ended- they probably make it “exempt” (secret). So if you want to see how much this second increase cost – we have to wait together for the results of the next audit and the next precept meeting.
I also took some screenshots of the published minutes. I could write another article out of this, but for lack of time, I’ll hold off.
Sylwester Zwierzynski
Lead photo: I made it with AI 😀
