To approve the Herefordshire councillors allowances scheme having regard to the recommendations of the council’s independent remuneration panel.

Council considered a report by the Monitoring Officer to approve the Herefordshire councillors’ allowances scheme having regard to the recommendations of the council’s independent remuneration panel. A supplement to the report containing an additional recommendation had been circulated on 27 May. The following corrections to the report were outlined to Council:

·        Recommendation (b) to be changed to – a three-step mandatory training element to be included in year three of the electoral term in relation to the basic allowance;

·        In appendix g, the table on page 118 required corrections. The final column of the table should state F/Y 2024/25 and the Chairperson of the Council’s proposed allowance rates should state:

-        F/Y 2021/22 - £10,258.29

-        F/Y 2022/23 - £10,596.50

-        F/Y 2024/25 - £10,934.86

The monitoring officer explained that a dispensation had been granted to all members to enable participation in the debate and vote.

Recommendation (a)

It was proposed that a recorded vote was undertaken to agree the councillors’ allowances scheme which was supported by over eight members of the Council.

Councillor Nigel Shaw proposed and Councillor Ellie Chowns seconded option 2 for the councillors’ allowances scheme as set out in appendix (g) of the report - Council accept the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendation in full, but defer the new allowance scheme to begin in 2023/24 (following all-out local elections) to deliver the new increase.

Councillor Gemma Davies proposed and Councillor Ange Tyler seconded option 3 for the councillors’ allowances scheme as set out in appendix (g) of the report - Council accept the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendation in full, but defer the new allowances scheme to begin in 2022/23 to deliver the full increase.

Councillor Roger Phillips declared an other interest as the Vice Chairman of the National Joint Council.

Council raised the principal points below in the debate:

·        The low level of allowances currently paid to Herefordshire councillors relative to other authorities;

·        The importance of attracting young and working-age people to become councillors by providing a reasonable level of remuneration;

·        The discomfort to councillors of being legally required to set the level of allowances;

·        The absence of any uplift in the level of councillor allowances over the previous eight years;

·        Concern that any further delay to increasing councillors allowances would result in an increasing deficit between the levels paid at Herefordshire Council and other local authorities;

·        Option 2 represented a reasonable compromise between acknowledging the current economic difficulties and the need for an increase in the very low level of basic allowance paid;

·        The need to evaluate the level of basic allowance paid to councillors from urban and rural wards, particularly where there existed a large number of parish councils;

·        Confirmation that the increase to allowances would be index-linked if option 2 was supported and the uplift occurred following local elections in May 2023; and

·        Confirmation that individual councillors could choose to not receive any increase in their allowances.

Councillor David Hitchiner proposed and Councillor Gemma Davies seconded an amendment to recommendation 14 of the Report of the Herefordshire

Independent Remuneration Panel to include the wording and the Leader. The amendment was carried.

RESOLVED: That recommendation 14 of the Report of the Herefordshire

Independent Remuneration Panel is amended as follows:

That the SRA for the role of the Cabinet Support and Cabinet Opposition Support Members remain an allowance of up to 50% of the band 2 allowance (cabinet member allowance) subject to the total budget currently allocated for individual cabinet members and the leader not being exceeded.

Options 2 and 3 for the councillors’ allowances scheme as set out in appendix (g) of the report were put to the recorded vote. Option 2 was carried.

Option 2 (32): Councillors Paul Andrews, Polly Andrews, Bartlett, Bolderson, Bowes, Chowns, Crockett, Durkin, Fagan, Foxton, Gandy, Guthrie, Harrington, Hitchiner, Howells, I’Anson, Johnson, Graham Jones, Mike Jones, Kenyon, Lester, Matthews, Millmore, Norman, Price, Probert, Rone, Shaw, Stark, Swinglehurst, Toynbee, and Wilding.

Option 3 (12): Councillors Graham Andrews, Boulter, Davies, Hardwick, Harvey, Hewitt, Hey, Marsh, Seldon, Summers, Tyler and Watson

Abstain (7): Councillors Bartrum, Bowen, James, Jinman, Phillips, Symonds and Tillett.

RESOLVED: That Council accepts the Independent Remuneration Panel’s recommendation in full, subject to the amendment to recommendation 14 outlined above, and agrees to defer the new allowance scheme to begin in 2023/24 (following all-out local elections) to deliver the new increase.

Recommendation (b)

Councillor Jennie Hewitt proposed and Councillor Liz Harvey seconded recommendation (b), as corrected above, which was carried.

RESOLVED: That a three-step mandatory training element is included in year three of the electoral term in relation to the basic allowance.

Recommendation (c)

Councillor Alan Seldon proposed and Councillor Nigel Shaw seconded recommendation (c) which was carried.

RESOLVED: That basic and special responsibility allowances are updated annually in line with the national joint council for local government services pay award for a period of not more than four years.

Recommendation (d)

Councillor Alan Seldon proposed and Councillor Nigel Shaw seconded recommendation (d) which was carried.

RESOLVED: That the current schemes of travel and subsistence, and childcare and dependants’ carers’ allowances are retained with a requirement that expenses must be claimed within 12 months of being incurred.