WHEN Cllr Chris Forehead said, “I am proud that as a council we can stand up and say that all of our staff are benefiting from earning, at the very least, the living wage.” Noble words from a person who also has a councillor’s allowance to look forward to every month.


I would like to ask, can the council afford the pay rise and can the council guarantee there will be no job cuts and no public services cuts? Will Caerphilly council freeze council tax for the people not getting the living wage?
If the lower paid workers get a pay rise, then surely the knock on affect would see workers on the higher paid grade also getting a pay rise. Why did Labour councillors go against their leaders in London when both Eds advised keeping the public sector wage bill down and keeping public services?


When Labour first introduced a minimum wage, why wasn’t it set at a higher rate? Plaid didn’t vote because the amount set was too low. This will cost the tax payer a lot more in the long run, with wages increasing and pensions increasing.
Andrew Nutt,
Heolddu Road, Bargoed