Expense-Free: Prater one of 8 Kent County Councillors not to claim expenses last year

Kent County Council have published expense and allowance figures for Kent County Councillors in 2009-10 which show Folkestone West County Councillor Tim prater as one of 8 serving County Councillors who claimed no expenses for mileage, fares or subsistence in 2009-10.

Kent County Councillors claimed £136,681.25 of expenses during the year, on top of basic and special responsibility allowances agreed by the Council of £1,676,018.84. The full figures are available at http://tinyurl.com/357a2pe

Lib Dem Councillor Tim Prater commented:

"I think it's reasonable that I cover my travel expenses from the cost of the allowance that all County Councillors get from Kent County Council. I'm pleased to be one of less than 10% of County Councillors who did not claim additional expenses in 2009-10.

"I also voted against the increase in basic allowances given last year to Kent County Councillors - at a time when the County Council had announced pay freezes for most staff and seeking to cut costs through a large scale redundancy programme. This was the first vote of the new County Council, and to watch all Conservative Councillors there vote themselves an 8% increase in basic allowances was disgusting at a time of so many cuts in other areas.

"Although that increase went through for all Councillors, I spent that allowance increase last year on a scheme in my division to reintroduce postal services to Sandgate Village through a personal donation to cover the cost of a new post licence and weighing equipment at the Sandgate Village Store. It's important to me that the local community saw the benefit of that rise in allowances - not me as a Councillor."