FREE alcohol following Bathurst Regional Council meetings will be a thing of the past if Councillor Jess Jennings gets his way.
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Currently councillors and council staff are given free rein of the drinks cabinet after full council meetings and policy committee meetings each month.
A light meal is also provided after the full council meeting on the third Wednesday of the month and a sit-down dinner after the policy committee meeting on the first Wednesday of the month.
But Cr Jennings, who first raised this issue during the council election campaign in September, says it is time for Bathurst to follow the suit of councils such as Dubbo that have put an end to the free drinks.
He said he was not opposed to councillors or staff enjoying a beer or wine with their meal but saw no reason for ratepayers to foot the bill.
“I’m just not comfortable receiving a free drink every time I do the job I’m elected to do – it seems extravagant to me,” he said.
“The other thing is, I have never heard of any limits being placed on it so it just depends how you feel after a meeting if you want to have one or two drinks, or six or seven.”
General manager David Sherley said it was not possible to say just how much council spent on alcohol after meetings by Cr Jennings estimated it would run into thousands of dollars each year that could otherwise go to local sporting or community groups.
“The Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities for Councillors Policy entitles councillors to the provision of a meal and/or refreshments in conjunction with the committee/council meeting or at any official ceremony authorised by council or the mayor, or in carrying out their councillor’s responsibilities ...,” Mr Sherley said.
“The funds for refreshments/meals at council meetings comes from the same budget as civic functions such as mayoral receptions so it is not possible to determine a separate cost.”
Cr Jennings said he would use Wednesday night’s policy committee meeting to call for a report into the provision of alcohol after meetings and did not expect much opposition from his colleagues.
“I would agree that councillors are not paid a lot for the amount of hours they put in and the often poor treatment they receive, but if councillors want better remuneration they should stand up and fight for that rather than trying to cushion the blow with other perks,” he said.