Christopher Harris has swapped this, for Sydney.
When Tory councillor Christopher Harris decided to take an extended holiday in Australia, he thought nobody would mind if he kept his £800 per month councillor allowance. But today his actions have sparked outrage.
Barnet councillor Christopher Harris left the UK for Australia in July after being made redundant. The parliamentary candidate for the area, Mike Freer, revealed that Mr Harris had refused to waive his £800 a month allowances or to give a date of return, therefore the decision was taken to remove him from the Conservative Party. However Mr Harris remains an independent councillor for the ward and will continue to do so, and to receive his allowance paid for by the taxpayer, until 2010.
He refuses to resign but says that he has no intention of standing as councillor in 2010 and that his decision to emigrate to Australia was for family reasons.
Cllr Harris insisted that he had done nothing wrong: “I am still answering emails – if people want me I can still help them.� He also called the £800 per month a “piffling amount� and said that he was considering emigrating to Australia long-term: “We are thinking long term about how much we like Australia and that is what the position is at the moment. I don’t think we are going to come straight back as I hear the weather’s getting colder in Britain,� he laughed.
However if you do happen to send Cllr Harris an email, you get an automated reply stating that he is away from July 21 on an extended holiday, asking that you call his mobile in Australia if you need to speak to him or to email one of his colleagues. I wonder how many of his constituents can afford to call an Australian mobile during the day?
Political opponents were quick to brand the situation a disgrace, with the Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Cohen saying: “It is an outrage. £800 is a lot of money to a lot of people. A pensioner doesn’t get that much. I think he should pay it back and there should be an investigation.
If Cllr Harris has gone to Australia on a tourist visa then he can remain in the country for up to 12 months, however if he wants to remain there permanently, he’ll have to apply for a permanent visa and without an occupation on the CSL, his options are limited.
So far the public has responded less than favourably towards Cllr Harris, with P Smith from Orpington asking “Why has this smug self satisfied prat not been sacked??� and Liz from London making the point of; “but if he’s on holiday, he can’t claim the allowance!�
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