The current Councillors’ Allowances Scheme, approved by the Full Council on 24 February 2021, has effect until 31 March 2023. The Scheme will be reviewed by an Independent Remuneration Panel in the coming year with a view to feeding the allowances in to the 2023/24 Budget. As the Mayoral allowances do not form part of the main Allowances Scheme, the Governance Committee will need to decide whether the Mayoral allowances should be considered by the Panel at the same time as the main review. It is intended that a proposed Councillors’ Allowances Scheme be brought to the Governance Committee in September 2022.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Committee:
1. Notes that the current Councillors’ Allowances Scheme remains in effect until 31 March 2023.
2. Decides whether the Mayoral allowances should be considered by the Independent Remuneration Panel at the same time as the review of the Councillors’ Allowances Scheme.
3. Requests that the Head of Legal, Governance and HR puts in place the necessary arrangements to ensure that a review of the Councillors’ Allowances Scheme takes place in order for the allowances to feed into the 2023/24 Budget.
Minutes:
The Committee considered the item set out on the Agenda which advised that the current Councillors’ Allowances Scheme had effect until 31 March 2023. The Scheme would be reviewed by an Independent Remuneration Panel (the “Panel”) in the coming year with a view to feeding the allowances in to the 2023/24 Budget. The Committee were requested to consider whether the Mayoral allowances should be considered by the Panel at the same time as the main Review.
In addition to noting that membership of the Panel was already in place, the Committee was informed that significant effort had previously been made to appoint female members to that Panel but unfortunately it had not been possible to do so. When new/replacement Panel members were required officers would make a continued effort to appoint a female member to the Panel.
Following a query raised by the Committee, the Democracy and Data Manager advised the Committee that, should a Councillor be of the opinion that a Scrutiny Review of the Mayoral package could be advantageous, a Scrutiny Suggestion Form should be submitted in the usual way. The Committee was given details of the information provided to the Panel to assist its Review and was reminded that the Mayoral allowances had been included in the last Review of the Allowances Scheme at the request of the Governance Committee.
Proposed Motion
It was moved by Councillor Malik (seconded by Councillor Lanzer) that the Independent Remuneration Panel be requested to consider the Mayoral allowances at the same time as the review of the Councillors’ Allowances Scheme.
Following a vote, the proposal was declared to be CARRIED unanimously.
Whilst the Committee understood the difficulties faced by the Panel at the time, concern was expressed by the Committee that, during the last Review of the Mayoral allowances, the Panel had chosen not interview recent previous Mayors as none of the Mayors from 2015/16 onwards were serving Councillors. The Committee was of the opinion that the interviews were fundamental in informing a Panel of the activities carried out by the Mayor and the time commitment involved. The Committee questioned whether not carrying out those interviews could have been a reason for the Panel’s suggested significant reduction in the allowances of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor at the time. Given the strength of feeling expressed by the Committee the Democracy and Data Manager reassured the Committee that he would inform the Panel of the Committee’s concern and would encourage it to interview former Mayors when conducting their Review of the Mayoral allowances (including those who were no longer a serving Councillor).
RESOLVED
1. That it be noted that the current Councillors’ Allowances Scheme remains in effect until 31 March 2023.
2. That the Independent Remuneration Panel be requested to consider the Mayoral allowances at the same time as the review of the Councillors’ Allowances Scheme.
3. That the Head of Legal, Governance and HR put in place the necessary arrangements to ensure that a review of the Councillors’ Allowances Scheme takes place in order for the allowances to feed into the 2023/24 Budget.