Agenda item

Members Allowances 2010/2011

Report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services

 

Summary

 

To consider and determine the levels of the allowances to be paid to Members for the forthcoming 2010/2011 financial year following the submission of the report of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel on the review of the 2009/2010 Members’ Allowances Scheme.

 

Recommendations

 

Council is recommended:

 

(1)               To consider the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommended levels of allowance to be included in the 2010/11 Members’ Allowances Scheme, (that is recommending no change to the levels agreed for 2009/10) and whether these recommendations should be adopted or modified in any way.

(2)               To authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to prepare an amended Members’ Allowances Scheme, in accordance with the decisions of the Council for implementation with effect from 1 April 2010.

(3)               To authorise the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to take all necessary action to revoke the current (2009/10) Scheme and to publicise the revised Scheme pursuant to The Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 (as amended).

(4)               To thank the Independent Remuneration Panel for its thorough and detailed report, to agree to recruit two panel Members prior to the commencement of work on the 2011/12 allowance scheme, and set a fee of £300 for IRP Panel Members for the work carried out in 2009/10 and propose the same level of fee for 2010/11.

 

 

Minutes:

Council considered a report of the Independent Remuneration Panel on the review of Members’ Allowances for the 2010/2011 financial year, which proposed no increase on the 200910 allowances. It was proposed by Councillor Macnamara and seconded by Councillor Mallon that the recommendations as set out in the report be agreed.

 

Resolved

 

1)                 That the level of allowances for 2010/2011 be agreed  as proposed by the Independent Remuneration Panel as set out below:

 

a)      the basic allowance payable to all Members be £4,155;

 

b)  the Special responsibility Allowances be paid as follows:

 

 

i)         Executive Members

£6,291

 

ii)                  Leader of the Council  (to which should be added the SRA as a Member of the Executive)

 

£7,209

iii)                Chairman of the Licensing Committee

 

£2,250

iv)                Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

 

£3,702

v)                  Chairman of the Resources & Performance Scrutiny Board

 

£3,702

vi)                Chairman of Planning Committee

 

£4,200

vii)              Chairman of Standards Committee (Independent Member)

 

£1,296

viii)            Chairman of Personnel

 

£1,296

ix)                Chairman of the Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee

 

£2,250

x)                  Leader of the Opposition

 

£2,898

xi)                Co-optees Allowance

 

£831

 

c)       the Carers’ Allowance continues to be paid at its current levels and on the basis that:-

 

iii)                the allowance can only be claimed when an ‘approved duty’ is performed subject to the submission of receipts and, in the case of the childcare allowance, to that allowance not being paid to a member of the claimant’s household; and

iv)                the basis of the Carers’ Allowance be the actual cost incurred up to the maximum hourly rates set out below and to a maximum cap of 20 hours per month:-

 

·        Childcare - £8 per hour

·        Dependent Relative Care - £15 per hour

   

d)     subject to the notification of any adjustments later in the year, HM Revenue and Customs specified mileage rates of 24p per mile for motorcycles regardless of the cc and 40p per mile (with no tax implications) regardless of the cc of the motor vehicle  be paid up until such time any revisions are notified by HM Revenue and Customs and the revised rates then be implemented;

 

e)     the supplements relating to the payment of tolls and other parking charges continue to be paid;

 

f)        subject to the proviso detailed in (d) above, the HM Revenue and Customs specified rate of 20p per mile be paid for travel by bicycles and other ‘non-motorised’ forms of transport;

 

g)     the travelling allowance payment for electric or similar specialised vehicles remain at £1.10 per journey regardless of the distance travelled (with no tax implications);

 

h)      the specified occasions when Members travel otherwise than by their own vehicle continue to be included in the Allowances Scheme;

 

i)        the subsistence allowances be paid at the levels index linked in accordance with the agreed formula; and

 

j)   Members be reminded of the importance the Panel attaches to the completion of the activity questionnaire, the outcome of which will continue to be an important part of the information collated to inform the 2011/2012 review.

 

2)                 That the Head of Legal and Democratic Services is authorised to prepare an amended Members’ Allowances Scheme, in accordance with the decisions of the Council for implementation with effect from 1 April 2010.

3)                 That the Head of Legal and Democratic Services is authorised to take all necessary action to revoke the current (2009/10) Scheme and to publicise the revised Scheme pursuant to The Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 (as amended).

4)                 That the Independent Remuneration Panel are thanked for its thorough and detailed report, to agree to recruit two panel Members prior to the commencement of work on the 2011/12 allowance scheme, and set a fee of £300 for IRP Panel Members for the work carried out in 2009/10 and propose the same level of fee for 2010/11.

 

Supporting documents: