I SAT through the full Council meeting on ­February 24 (adjourned again to March 2) seething inwardly as councillors debated their own allowances.

Let me state at the outset that I am not against councillors being paid a small allowance in addition to expenses. What I objected to was the sanctimonious cant from some of the speakers. That there are councillors who work hard I know from my own experience but others merely turn up for the mandatory number of meetings. The money they are paid is public money and they should never forget that. What has happened to the idea of public service, so beloved of our Victorian ancestors? 

My annoyance was because I know people who work really hard as volunteers and receive nothing, in some cases not even out-of-pocket expenses. Indeed, many of them will tell you that to volunteer actually costs them money, but they accept this as part of their commitment. Fund-raising and researching grant sources is remorseless work as anyone who has tried it will agree, let alone the sheer hard physical effort involved in staging events. I know someone personally who works tirelessly, way beyond what could be expected of him, and what does he receive? Nothing, apart from the knowledge that virtue is its own reward. Indeed, he is positively disliked in some quarters by those unprepared to follow his example.

Within just one local charity, Age Concern, we have a dedicated group of ladies who work tirelessly to help to fund us. They are always searching for new ideas and they put their backs into organising any event that is suggested. This really is the Big Society at work as it always has been, and it is made up of the unsung people at grassroots level who are so vital to keep the charity and its services afloat.  

So please, councillors, when you pat yourselves on the back for the work you do, don't forget you are rewarded (small though the amount may be) from the public purse and that there are many local volunteers who do not receive a penny for their efforts. Neither do they expect it, which is why I am writing about them now. As for all of us who vote for councillors on May 5, we should ask the question of each candidate soliciting our support, 'what will you do to ensure your councillor's allowance is value for our money?'

– Daphne Pearson (Dr), Tinman's Green, Redbrook