Agenda item

To receive a report from the Independent Remuneration Panel on their review of Members Allowances.

RECOMMENDATION that Council agree that:

(1)                No changes are made to the basic allowance for the financial years consisting of 2020/21 and 2021/22;

(2)                The £500 component of the Basic Allowance for the provision of IT should only be claimed by those Members who provide facilities which allow constituents and Officers to communicate with them by e-mail, in addition to having adequate equipment and connections to allow for effective participation in virtual meetings, and the self-certification process related to this component of the basic allowance be continued; 

(3)                No changes are made to any of the existing rates for Special Responsibility Allowances;

(4)                No changes are made to the Travel and Subsistence Allowances;

(5)                No changes are made to the Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Allowances;

(6)                The Dependent and Carers allowance be restructured to the following, from April 2021:

i) A maximum claimable rate of £10 per hour be instated, to rise with the national living wage rate as and when this overtakes the stated figure. This rate is claimable by Members with direct caring responsibilities, and should primarily be used for non-specialist childcare (e.g. babysitting);

ii) A maximum claimable rate of £20 per hour be instated, to rise by the same monetary increase as granted to part i of the Dependent and Carers allowance. This rate is claimable by Members with direct caring responsibilities, and should be used for specialist care (e.g. medically trained staff care including mental health, care for a number of young children for which a babysitter would not be appropriate, care which includes lifting or moving an adolescent or adult). An invoice, of any description, is required to claim for this rate.

Both of the above are claimable up to a combined maximum of 35 hours total per month, and the carer must not be a member of the Councillor’s family that lives at the same address. In exceptional circumstances, claims above the 35 hour monthly limit can be agreed with the Lead Specialist for Democratic and Electoral Services, subject to provision of suitable evidence.

(7)                During the next municipal year, when a review of Members’ Allowances is not required, the IRP are given permission to publish a press release in local news and via WBC media sources, with administrative support from Democratic Services Officers. The content of this piece will focus on the views of Panel members, both before and after appointment to the Panel, on Members’ Allowances and the work of a Councillor.

The Council considered the Review of Members Allowances by the Independent Remuneration Panel.

Bob Nancarrow, Chairman of the Independent Remuneration Panel, introduced the report.  He thanked his fellow Panel members; Diana Anderson, Angela Slade, Ian Newlove and David Harwood for their work and their time.

He indicated that the Panel had been formed in November 2019.  It had met 15 times, with most of these meetings being held virtually.  The IRP had met with a number of Members to hear their views and had issued a survey to which 34 responses had been received. 

Bob Nancarrow took the Council through the report’s recommendations.

It was proposed by John Halsall and seconded by John Kaiser that the recommendations within the report be agreed.

Having seen an advance copy of a proposed amendment John Halsall indicated that he did not support reducing Members Allowances.  Members gave up a lot of their time to serve their communities.  He felt that the allowance levels should not prove a limiting factor to those in the community who wished to become councillors.

John Kaiser thanked the IRP for their efforts.

Lindsay Ferris also thanked the IRP and indicated that the Liberal Democrats supported their recommendations.  He stated that it was not the right time to change or increase Members Allowances when so many people had lost their jobs or were experiencing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.  The publication of the IRP’s recommendations in the local media had been appreciated.

Andy Croy proposed the following amendment to recommendation 1.  It was seconded by Rachel Burgess.

1)    No changes are made to the basic allowance for the financial years consisting of 2020/21 and 2021/22;the basic allowance be reduced to the basic allowance applicable in financial year 2010/11;

Andy Croy thanked the IRP for their work.  He particularly welcomed the proposed changes to the dependent and carers elements of the allowances, and the stronger language around the need for sufficient IT facilities.  Andy Croy indicated that Labour councillors had always set their allowances at the 2010 level.

Rachel Burgess emphasised that taxpayers money should be spent wisely.

John Halsall, the proposer of the report, did not accept the amendment to the recommendation.

Stephen Conway indicated that he did not support the amendment and the reason the IRP was an independent panel was to depoliticise the issue of Members Allowances.   Members had the opportunity to choose not to take the full allowance offered to them if they wished.  The Council should do all it could to enable all sections of the community to become councillors.

Pauline Helliar-Symons welcomed the IRP’s proposals to amend the carers and dependent element of the allowance.  She stated that she did not support the proposed amendment and that it would not save the Council a sufficient amount of money.

Carl Doran emphasised that he took the allowance at the 2010 level.  He felt that the difference between that and the current level was one which most Members could accept.

Gary Cowan suggested that the Constitution be amended so that Members merely accepted the recommendations of the IRP in the future. 

Andy Croy requested that recommendation 1 and recommendations 2-7 be voted on separately.  This was agreed by the Mayor.

RESOLVED:  That Council agree that:

(1)                No changes are made to the basic allowance for the financial years consisting of 2020/21 and 2021/22;

(2)            The £500 component of the Basic Allowance for the provision of IT should only be claimed by those Members who provide facilities which allow constituents and Officers to communicate with them by e-mail, in addition to having adequate equipment and connections to allow for effective participation in virtual meetings, and the self-certification process related to this component of the basic allowance be continued; 

(3)            No changes are made to any of the existing rates for Special Responsibility Allowances;

(4)            No changes are made to the Travel and Subsistence Allowances;

(5)            No changes are made to the Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Allowances;

(6)            The Dependent and Carers allowance be restructured to the following, from April 2021:

i) A maximum claimable rate of £10 per hour be instated, to rise with the national living wage rate as and when this overtakes the stated figure. This rate is claimable by Members with direct caring responsibilities, and should primarily be used for non-specialist childcare (e.g. babysitting);

ii) A maximum claimable rate of £20 per hour be instated, to rise by the same monetary increase as granted to part i of the Dependent and Carers allowance. This rate is claimable by Members with direct caring responsibilities, and should be used for specialist care (e.g. medically trained staff care including mental health, care for a number of young children for which a babysitter would not be appropriate, care which includes lifting or moving an adolescent or adult). An invoice, of any description, is required to claim for this rate.

Both of the above are claimable up to a combined maximum of 35 hours total per month, and the carer must not be a member of the Councillor’s family that lives at the same address. In exceptional circumstances, claims above the 35 hour monthly limit can be agreed with the Lead Specialist for Democratic and Electoral Services, subject to provision of suitable evidence.

(7)            During the next municipal year, when a review of Members’ Allowances is not required, the IRP are given permission to publish a press release in local news and via WBC media sources, with administrative support from Democratic Services Officers. The content of this piece will focus on the views of Panel members, both before and after appointment to the Panel, on Members’ Allowances and the work of a Councillor.