IN scenes reminiscent of the 2010 coalition government, Bolton’s Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties appear to be joining forces for a common goal.

The two national parties came together to form a ruling group after the General Election five years ago and now their respective Bolton branches have landed on a similar page on the subject of reducing the amount paid by the Bolton Council in Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) for councillors.

The Lib Dems and their leader Cllr Roger Hayes have been campaigning to reduce the amount spent by the council on SRAs for the past five years and have also regularly called for the overall number of councillors in Bolton to be reduced by a third – from 60 to 40.

SRAs are paid to members with formal positions in the council – such as committee chairs and cabinet members – and are an addition to the basic annual allowance of £11,416.

Up until now, the Conservative group has not officially backed the idea of cutting SRAs, but a motion being brought by senior Tory Cllr John Walsh to tomorrow’s full council meeting seems to indicate a change of thinking.

Cllr Walsh does not support the idea of cutting the number of councillors and stresses that such a decision cannot be made by the local authority.

He does however believe that a “speedy and more effective” way to save money that is within the council’s control is to reduce both the number and levels of special responsibility allowances paid to its members.

He will ask the council to consider returning to its former system of committees, explaining: “This is an arrangement based on the two directorates and the existing model of scrutiny committees, with mechanisms for call-in as previously operated, to avoid delay or added bureaucracy for urgent matters, could be easily implemented.

“As a committee structure it would have the added benefit of involving more members of the council in the decision-making process. This would give greater transparency to the work and decision-making processes of the council.”

The Astley Bridge councillor will ask for a “comprehensive review” of these options and wants a report to be produced before next year’s budget. The motion has been welcomed by Cllr Hayes and his Liberal Democrat group. He said: “After five years of being the only party working hard to reduce the amount of money wasted on un-needed SRAs, it is of course a welcome sight to see other parties now following in our footsteps. That said, we are disappointed to hear that the Conservatives still refuse to support our call for a reduction in the number of councillors.

“Speaking to residents across Bolton it is clear that people want to see fewer councillors, reduced spending on councillors and more money being given to front line services.

“However It seems the Bolton Labour Council – like the Conservative Government – are completely out of tune with the electorate and focused on cutting services while keeping hold of the money they give themselves.”

Cllr Walsh’s motion will be debated and discussed at the full council meeting inside the town hall from 7pm tomorrow on Wednesday.