London city councillors may soon spend nearly $300,000 a year to make their jobs easier.
A new report recommends London's 14 councillors double the size of their expense accounts and hire new support staff.
"When I started, it was probably 20 hours a week, now if you can get by on 40, you are a magic person," says Councillor Bud Polhill.
To help councillors cope with that workload, they share a staff of three full-time assistants, two co-op students and occasionally a receptionist.
But a new report recommends hiring an additional administrative assistant and make the receptionist position permanent.
And doubling councillor expense accounts to $30,000 a year with half that money earmarked for hiring personal assistants.
That's a total cost increase of $295,000 a year.
Claims that it will buy better service for constituents isn't convincing many Londoners.
"It is still your responsibility to get the job done. I don't think it's necessary to spend a tonne more money cause they can't get the job done," says resident Trenton McDuff.
Councillor Stephen Orser believes if councillors spent more time at city hall they wouldn't need more staff.
"It is another telltale sign we have a full-time city, with full-time problems and we need a full-time council," says Orser.
But do city councillors even make the best use of their existing office space and resources at city hall?
Councillor Bill Armstrong doesn't think so.
He's pushing for a hybrid option that would see ward offices across the city.
"If we could find affordable or free space in the community, I think that would make a lot more sense," Armstrong says.
Half of city hall's third floor is currently dedicated as councillors offices.
Armstrong believes his plan could save money currently spent leasing external office space.
"That space is needed for other departments and services," he says.
Polhill says additional help is needed but believes the current report goes too far.
"If I could have someone for half that amount of money for maybe one day a week to clean up the detail work, that would be good." says Polhill.
