To receive the report and to consider any recommendations to Council arising from the meeting held on 19th October, 2006.

The Chief Executive presented the report of the Panel which had met to review the current Members' Allowance Scheme and to make recommendations which would take effect from the elections in May 2007.  He explained that the report was being presented at this time, rather than after the Elections, as it would be clear that those voting would not automatically benefit from the decision.  He explained that the Panel did not revisit the basic principles of the scheme but confined their discussion to the suitability of the allowances compared to other authorities of a similar nature and with neighbouring authorities and to those Committees where the workload has increased, or was expected to increase, significantly.

In response to a request that Vice-Chairmen be given an allowance, he explained that government guidance placed a restriction of the number of Special Responsibility Allowances that could be granted and if Vice-Chairmen were to be included this number would be exceeded.  He said the Panel had considered this point and was of the view that if the Vice-Chairman was undertaking a substantial workload there should be an informal arrangement between Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen to recompense this.  One Committee Chairman said he would be prepared to do this.

One Councillor suggested that Cabinet Members should be paid a higher allowance with adjustments made elsewhere to stay within the proposed budget.  The Leader advised that the allowance paid to Cabinet Members and the Leader had been voluntarily frozen over the last three years.

One Councillor felt that the basic allowance was still too low to attract younger people and that the workload was such that it was difficult for anyone who was employed to take on the role.

The Chief Executive confirmed that the Panel had discussed many of these issues, but that government guidelines did not allow them to make recommendations on higher figures.  He confirmed that the Council could approve allowances below the level of the recommendations of the Panel but it would be unwise to go much above the recommendations because of public perception if the Council was to ignore the advice of an Independent Panel.

RESOLVED:                        That the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel held on 19th October, 2006 be received and

THAT  (a)            the Basic Allowance be amended to £7,000 (current £6,165);

(b)            Special Responsibility Allowances be amended as follows:

Band 1                     £27,000  (current £26,586)

Band 2                     £11,000  (current £10,635)

Band 3                      £8,500   (current £8,212)

Band 4                      £1,500   (current £1,368)

(c)        Special Responsibility Allowances be attached to the following at the Band Indicated:

(i)                 Chairman of Audit and Corporate Governance Committee – Band 3 (pro rata 50 %);

(ii)               Chairman of Regulatory Committee – Band 3;

(iii)             Chairman of Standards Committee – Band 3 (pro rata 50%);

(d)       the Childcare and Dependent Carers' Allowance be set at the current market hourly rates;

(e)       no change be made to the Members’ Travel and Subsistence allowances which is currently set within the scale of rates used by the Inland Revenue;

(f)        Members’ Allowances should not be subject to performance related measurement;

(g)       new and existing Members be given every encouragement to adopt the use of ICT in their work as Councillors. 

The revised scheme of allowances which will take effect after the May 2007 elections is attached at Appendix 1 for ease of reference.