MP angry over increased pay for councillors...

Mr Lock has asked his supporters to sign a petition protesting about "Snouts in the Trough" Wyre Forest District Council - whose ruling group is Health Concern.

"Now that Health Concern councillors are in charge at Wyre Forest, they have awarded themselves a massive 161 per cent pay rise, costing an extra £114,000 per year to local council taxpayers," wrote Mr Lock, who is paid £48,371 as an MP and another £26,053 for being a junior Minister.

"This is a disgraceful indication of their priorities."

The petition, which Mr Lock wants returned to his London office, demands that money is diverted to more "worthy" causes.

He has also hit out at the leader of the council, Coun Mike Oborski.

"Wyre Forest provides no funding to organisations like Victim Support, but they can pay the council leader £200 per week for a part-time job," complained the MP.

The leader of the 19 Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern members of Wyre Forest District Council called Mr Lock "desperate".

Basic pay

"It's an attempt to save his Parliamentary seat," said Coun John Gordon.

Another IKHHC member, Coun Frank Baillie, claimed the move was "part and parcel of Labour's kid-the-public process".

"The party has gone from having 28 seats on the council in 1998 to 11, which explains Mr Lock's bitterness," he said.

"Wyre Forest District Councillors' basic pay is £2,750 a year

MP angry over

increased pay

for councillors

WYRE Forest MP David Lock has sparked a war of words after calling increased pay for district councillors "disgraceful".

Mr Lock has asked his supporters to sign a petition protesting about "Snouts in the Trough" Wyre Forest District Council - whose ruling group is Health Concern.

"Now that Health Concern councillors are in charge at Wyre Forest, they have awarded themselves a massive 161 per cent pay rise, costing an extra £114,000 per year to local council taxpayers," wrote Mr Lock, who is paid £48,371 as an MP and another £26,053 for being a junior Minister.

"This is a disgraceful indication of their priorities."

The petition, which Mr Lock wants returned to his London office, demands that money is diverted to more "worthy" causes.

He has also hit out at the leader of the council, Coun Mike Oborski.

"Wyre Forest provides no funding to organisations like Victim Support, but they can pay the council leader £200 per week for a part-time job," complained the MP.

The leader of the 19 Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern members of Wyre Forest District Council called Mr Lock "desperate".

Basic pay

"It's an attempt to save his Parliamentary seat," said Coun John Gordon.

Another IKHHC member, Coun Frank Baillie, claimed the move was "part and parcel of Labour's kid-the-public process".

"The party has gone from having 28 seats on the council in 1998 to 11, which explains Mr Lock's bitterness," he said.

"Wyre Forest District Councillors' basic pay is £2,750 a year whereas there are three Labour members of the district council here who are county councillors too. They earn £28,000 a year between them."

A furious Coun Oborski announced last week he would accept only half his £10,000 annual entitlement as leader of the authority. He accused Mr Lock of "humbug".

"The Government wants councillors to receive higher payments in order to make it possible for a wider range of people to become councillors," he said.

"All I am doing is reflecting the anger that local people have passed on to me," said Mr Lock.

"Mike Oborski has recognised this by taking half the allowance he has awarded himself - for reasons he has not explained.

"It's self concern not health concern and the local people have rumbled them."