Agenda item

To receive and consider the report of the Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer.

Recommendations approved

i)          Annual Basic Allowances

That the basic allowance for Members should be £4,911.01.

ii)         Special Responsibility Allowances

That there should be Special Responsibly Allowances for the following roles at the level of remuneration indicated:

iii)        Co-Optees Allowances

That Co-optees should not be paid an allowance, but be paid reasonable out of pocket expenses.

iv)       Dependents Carers’ Allowance (Children Or Dependents)

To retain the arrangements under the current Scheme, which are that a dependent carers’ allowance be paid when expenditure is actually incurred for attendance at Council and Committee meetings and the allowance be actual cost up to a maximum of the Carers Allowance. The allowances are only payable subject to the production of receipts and where care is provided by a registered social care provider, nursery or childminder.

That all members of the Council should be made aware of this aspect of the Scheme and clearly visible within the Scheme.

v)         Travel & Subsistence Allowances

That an annual allowance of £ 407.57 be paid for out of pocket expenses which is uprated in accordance with the Consumer Price Index as per the current Scheme.

vi)       Green Travel Allowance

That the Lead Member for Climate Change be requested to explore the possibility of incorporating an incentive into the Scheme to promote “green” travel. The Panel supports and endorses such amendment to the Scheme and that it be recommended to Council for approval prior to the next review.

vii)      Suspension of a Councillor

That in the event of a Councillor being suspended the payment of the allowance should be suspended for the same period.

viii)     Other Recommendations

a)        That the Basic Allowance and the Special Responsibiliy Allowances continue to be updated in line with National Joint Council Pay Award for employees and that the Travel andSubsistence Allowances be uprated on an annual basis with effect from 1^st April in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as published for the preceeding February.

b)        That the Lead Member allowance be backdated to the date of Council the roles were first created;

c)         That an Independent Remuneration Panel be convened every four years to coincide with Council’s electoral cycle in order that it can advise on any necessary changes to the Scheme or on those occasions when there are any substantial changes to the Council’s decision making structure.

Additional recommendation “to request the Independent Remuneration Panel reviews and further comments on the rationale for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition receiving a special responsibility allowance yet Vice Chairs of statutory committees don’t. 

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Paul Foster, introduced the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel which informed Council of the findings and recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel, which had completed a review of members’ allowances under the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003.

Members debated the proposed Special Responsibility Allowance for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, noting there were no proposals for an allowance for Vice-Chairs of Committees. 

It was proposed by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Paul Foster, seconded by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Mick Titherington and subsequently Resolved (unanimously)

i)          Annual Basic Allowances

That the basic allowance for Members should be £4,911.01.

ii)         Special Responsibility Allowances

That there should be Special Responsibly Allowances for the following roles at the level of remuneration indicated:

iii)        Co-Optees Allowances

That Co-optees should not be paid an allowance, but be paid reasonable out of pocket expenses.

iv)       Dependents Carers’ Allowance (Children Or Dependents)

To retain the arrangements under the current Scheme, which are that a dependent carers’ allowance be paid when expenditure is actually incurred for attendance at Council and Committee meetings and the allowance be actual cost up to a maximum of the Carers Allowance. The allowances are only payable subject to the production of receipts and where care is provided by a registered social care provider, nursery or childminder.

That all members of the Council should be made aware of this aspect of the Scheme and clearly visible within the Scheme.

v)         Travel & Subsistence Allowances

That an annual allowance of £ 407.57 be paid for out of pocket expenses which is uprated in accordance with the Consumer Price Index as per the current Scheme.

vi)       Green Travel Allowance

That the Lead Member for Climate Change be requested to explore the possibility of incorporating an incentive into the Scheme to promote “green” travel. The Panel supports and endorses such amendment to the Scheme and that it be recommended to Council for approval prior to the next review.

vii)      Suspension of a Councillor

That in the event of a Councillor being suspended the payment of the allowance should be suspended for the same period.

viii)     Other Recommendations

a)        That the Basic Allowance and the Special Responsibiliy Allowances continue to be updated in line with National Joint Council Pay Award for employees and that the Travel andSubsistence Allowances be uprated on an annual basis with effect from 1^st April in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as published for the preceeding February.

b)        That the Lead Member allowance be backdated to the date of Council the roles were first created;

c)         That an Independent Remuneration Panel be convened every four years to coincide with Council’s electoral cycle in order that it can advise on any necessary changes to the Scheme or on those occasions when there are any substantial changes to the Council’s decision making structure.

An additional recommendation was proposed by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Paul Foster, seconded by the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Mick Titherington and subsequently Resolved (by majority 24:19:0)

“to request the Independent Remuneration Panel reviews and further comments on the rationale for the Deputy Leader of the Opposition receiving a special responsibility allowance yet Vice Chairs of statutory committees don’t”.