Snouts First, Public Last

When Pain Was Shared, Not Shelved

In 2011, Council Leader Keith Barrow stood at the despatch box and told Shropshire councillors that “there is going to be pain and we should all take our share of it.” He promptly sliced councillors’ allowances by 5%, cut mileage rates, and asked officers to consider reducing the total number of councillors. In 2016, newly elected Green councillor Duncan Kerr denounced the “gravy train” of special allowances, promised to claim “not a penny” in expenses, and urged a 10% cut across the board.
Different times. Different world.

Fast forward to September 2025, with Shropshire Council teetering on the financial edge. Services hollowed out. Redundancies rolling through the corridors. A £200-million black hole looming on the horizon. And what did councillors decide? They voted themselves a 3.6% pay rise.

Pigs, Snouts and Troughs

Yes — while staff face uncertainty and residents are told to brace for cuts, councillors awarded themselves an inflation-linked increase worth around £460 each, back-dated and wrapped neatly into October’s payroll. The Labour group made a lonely attempt to freeze the increase, arguing that symbolism matters when the ship is sinking. But the Liberal Democrats — now the controlling group — joined with Conservatives, Reform, and Greens to ensure the trough stayed filled.

The justifications were as predictable as they were self-serving. “We earn less than the minimum wage,” cried some. “Diversity will suffer if we don’t,” claimed others. The chamber resounded with carefully rehearsed speeches about fairness, equality, and opportunity — all neatly forgetting that the Council itself is slashing services to those same disadvantaged families. The hypocrisy is breathtaking.

The Lib Dem Record So Far

• Failed to produce a credible recovery plan for Shropshire’s looming Section 114 crisis.
• Endorsed senior officers even as six years of failed internal controls were exposed.
• Allowed capital spending schemes and property adventures to limp on with little accountability.
• And now, as the crowning glory, presided over a vote to fatten councillors’ wallets while residents face service cuts.

Comparison: Barrow & Kerr vs 2025 LibDem Council Vote

Aspect	Barrow / Kerr Era	2025 Council Vote
Tone & Justification	Cuts in allowances or expense claims framed as collective sacrifice, austerity, leading by example. Barrow cut councillor allowances by ~5%, tightened mileage, asked for councillor numbers to be reviewed.	3.6% increase adopted even amid acknowledged financial stress, cutbacks elsewhere, soaring pressures on staff and services.
Public Messaging	“We all take pain”, “public sector must share the burden”.	“We deserve parity”, “we are below the minimum wage”, “diversity will suffer if we don’t keep pace with inflation”.
Expense Behaviour	Kerr publicly criticised excessive allowances, declared he would claim minimal expenses, campaigned against “wasteful” councillor perks.	The 2025 vote is effectively permitting colleagues to absorb the increase; very few voices in chamber urging restraint.
Financial Context	Some cuts occurred in times of tighter budgets, but not yet the kind of existential crisis Shropshire now faces.	Shropshire Council reportedly faces a multi‑million gap, risk of service collapse, budget shortfalls, and public anger over cuts.
Symbolic Weight	Cuts by leaders had genuine symbolic value: showing “we’re in it together”.	The increase is symbolic in the opposite direction: “we are immune or above the pain”.
Legacy / Reputation	Barrow and Kerr’s austerity measures are remembered as instances when councillors constrained themselves.	The 2025 vote will likely be remembered as champagne politics in a county of austerity.

It’s not as though Shropshire lacks precedent for self‑restraint. Barrow and Kerr (among others) didn’t route for grandstanding pay rises — they embraced cuts, even when unpopular. Today’s council, though, marched in the opposite direction. One day, history will ask which crop of councillors we got in 2025: those who guarded the public purse, or those who used public office as a personal piggy bank. The people of Shropshire will judge.

The Big Ending

Shropshire once had leaders — Barrow, Kerr — who, whatever else one might say, at least recognised that councillors should share the pain. Today’s crop have chosen instead to share the spoils.

When potholes go unfilled, when libraries close, when carers are told “sorry, there’s no money” — remember that your councillors found the funds for themselves.

What’s next? Will town councils like Oswestry snuffle along behind Shropshire Council’s lead—while the rest of us foot the bill through ever-rising council tax?

If this is democracy in action, then democracy is rooting in the mud like pigs in a cabbage patch.