Agenda item

Report of Assistant Director Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer

Purpose of report

To determine the levels of the allowances to be paid to Members for the forthcoming 2025/2026 financial year and proposed changes to the Members Allowance Scheme, following the consideration of the report of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel (the “Panel”) attached at Appendix 1. 

Recommendations

Council resolves:

1.1         To consider the levels of allowances to be included in the 2025/2026 Members’ Allowances Scheme, and whether the Panel’s recommendations (as set out at paragraph 3.1 of this report and section 2) should be adopted or modified in any way.

1.2         To authorise the Assistant Director Law and Governance to prepare an amended Members’ Allowances Scheme, in accordance with the decisions of Council for implementation with effect from 1 April 2025. 

1.3         To authorise the Assistant Director of Law and Governance to take all necessary action to revoke the current (2024/2025) Scheme and to publicise the revised Scheme pursuant to The Local Authorities (Member’s Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 (as amended). 

1.4         To thank the Independent Remuneration Panel for its report and set a fee of £300 for each Panel Member for the work carried out on this review and propose the same level of fee for any reviews carried out in 2025/2026 capped at a maximum of £1200 per person, which can be funded from existing budgets. 

Resolved

(1)          That, having given due consideration, the following levels of allowance be included in the 2025/2026 Members’ Allowances Scheme:

·         That the Basic Allowance be increased in in line with the 2025/2026 staff pay award (3.5%), rounded up to give 12 equal payments from 1 April 2025.

·         That all Special Responsibility Allowances be increased in in line with the 2025/2026 staff pay award (3.5%), rounded up to give 12 equal payments from 1 April 2025.

·         That the co-optees allowance be increased in in line with the 2025/2026 staff pay award (3.5%), rounded up to give 12 equal payments from 1 April 2025.

·         That the Independent Persons allowance be increased in in line with the 2025/2026 staff pay award (3.5%), rounded up to give 12 equal payments from 1 April 2025.

·         That Dependents’ Carers’ and Childcare Allowances remain at the current level, are paid on the basis of the actual costs incurred up to the maximum hourly rate set out below and to a maximum cap of 40 hours per month, subject to production of receipts and cannot be paid to a member of the claimant’s household:

o   Childcare: £10 per hour

o   Dependent Relative care - £20 per hour

·         That mileage remain at the current level in line with HMRC approved mileage rates, and if any adjustments are implemented by HMRC then the revised rates should be applied to Members’ travel allowances effective from the date of implementation by HMRC.

·         That, having regard to the detailed review of staff subsistence, the rates for subsistence allowance be aligned with the revised maximum staff subsistence levels, with claims permitted on approved duties of over 5 hours outside the district* subject to the submission of receipts (*subsistence allowances cannot be claimed for any duties within the district as the basic allowance is deemed to cover all within district expenses).

o   Breakfast: £7.50

o   Lunch: £10.50

o   Tea / coffee: £4.00

o   Evening Meal: £12.50

·         That Democratic Services continue to book overnight accommodation if required.

·         That there be no change to the list of approved duties for which claims may be made.

·         That Non-Executive Director allowances be increased in in line with the 2025/2026 staff pay award (3.5%), rounded up to give 12 equal payments from 1 April 2025 and costs recharged to the relevant company.

·         That an in-depth “root and branches” review of the Members’ Allowance Scheme be undertaken with implementation to be determined when further information on local government reorganisation, devolution and the Cherwell boundary review is known.  

(2)          That the Assistant Director Law and Governance be authorised to prepare an amended Members’ Allowances Scheme, in accordance with the decisions of Council for implementation with effect from 1 April 2025.

(3)          That the Assistant Director of Law and Governance be authorised to take all necessary action to revoke the current (2024/2025) Scheme and to publicise the revised Scheme pursuant to The Local Authorities (Member’s Allowances)(England) Regulations 2003 (as amended).

(4)          That the Independent Remuneration Panel be thanked for its report and a fee of £300 be set for each Panel Member for the work carried out on this review and it be agreed the level of fee be applied for any reviews carried out in 2025/2026 capped at a maximum of £1200 per person, which can be funded from existing budgets.