The young Labour politician is determined to open up his council to residents and end the dependency cultureWhen Jim McMahon became leader of Oldham council final year,he decided that the government's austerity programme demanded a dramatic response. First, he cut up the leader's credit card, and regarded as a perk of the job. Then,out went the chauffeur-driven car, another frippery attached to the post. "My partner said to me, and 'You've got your own car so why do you need someone to drive you around?'" recalls the 31-year-passe. "And why do you need a credit card with a generous limit?"That was just for starters. "It was famous councillors showed they were taking their share of the cuts,so we cut their special responsibility allowances by 10%."Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com