A LOCAL councillor has set up a petition calling on the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Labour's Mark Burns-Williamson, to drop plans to appoint an unelected deputy.
A row broke out when it emerged the deputy will be chosen from among West Yorkshire Labour members on a salary of between £52,995 and £56,571.
Now Kirklees Council’s Green Party leader Clr Andrew Cooper has launched a petition opposing the plan.
Clr Cooper said: “The Police and Crime Commissioner elections in November were a non-event with a record low turnout strongly indicating the contempt people had for the establishment of a Commissioner on a salary of £100k/year.
“Now this very same Commissioner, with little or no electoral mandate, is seeking to appoint a Labour Deputy on up to £56k/year when this was no indicated in any of his election literature.
“This is money that would be better spent on front line policing than more money.
“It is a sad example of the Labour Party establishing a post to provide patronage for their members with no accountability. It should be dropped immediately and I urge people to sign this petition to show the strength of local feeling on this waste of public money.”
Clr Andrew Marchington, who was the Liberal Democrat Candidate for the position of West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner last year, has strongly criticised the current Commissioner’s plans.
Clr Marchington said: “At a time when the police, the fire service and local authorities are making cuts I cannot see a justification for appointing a Deputy on an inflated salary.
“The Commissioner receives a wage of £100K per year and already has a team of staff based in Wakefield. If he feels he needs further support, it would seem appropriate to take a cut in his own salary. The £50K+ would be better used paying for additional policing.”
The Commissioner said the move was approved by the Government and insisted the total cost of his role and that of a deputy would be less than the costs of former West Yorkshire Police Authority officials.
