Oxfordshire Tories cut opposition allowances & increase their own

Conservative-run Oxfordshire County Council has cut allowances for opposition councillors whilst leaving their own allowances intact and in some cases almost doubling them.

Conservative cabinet members will continue to receive their £12,565 special responsibility allowance on top of their £8,376 basic allowance (not bad for a part time job, eh?) whilst the more modest £2,456 special responsibility allowance paid to shadow cabinet members has been abolished. The special responsibility allowance for the Chairs of the Planning & Regulation, Audit & governance and Pension Fund committees will increase from £2,729 to £5,050 and the Deputy Chair of the Planning & Regulation committee will be paid a new special responsibility allowance of £2,729. They are all Conservative councillors.

Tory councillor ordered to pay back just £5 of £154k he stole from Alzheimers victim

A Tory councillor who stole £154k off an Alzheimers sufferer has been ordered to pay back just £5.

Vale of White Horse District Councillor, John Morgan, stole the money off Alzheimers suffered Beryl Gittens and gambled it away on slot machines and a trip to Las Vegas. He stole so much money off her that when she died she had to be given a pauper's funeral.

Morgan's and his wife have divorced and his wife was given their £250k house, leaving him with no assets to seize.