Cheap at twice the price

David Morgan asks whether councillor board members are to be paid twice (Letters, 18 July, page 20). Why not?

I am privileged to chair a local authority scrutiny committee and also chair the operations committee of a medium-sized registered social landlord. It would be easy for me to spend eight days a week on the two jobs, including most evenings.

At roughly half the rate for NHS non-executive board members, my view is that RSL board payments should be about rewarding effort – adding value to the organisation. I cannot see that the likely levels of payment for most RSLs will necessarily attract higher-calibre candidates.

Two issues concern me. First, how do we measure performance? Currently, neither local authority nor RSL board member performance is properly monitored. Second, can the level of an allowance be such that tenant board members receiving a state benefit are not out of pocket?