Agenda item

Members' Allowances Scheme 2016-17

To consider the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel on the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2016-17.

Minutes:

The Council considered the report on the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel on the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2016-17.

It was proposed by Councillor I.T.E. Harvey and seconded by Councillor A.C. Harman that the following recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel, outlined in the tables below, be approved:

Allowance	Current amount for 2015/16	Number	Recommended Allowance for 2016/17	Recommended Allowance Calculation
Basic (BA):	£3938	39	£4550	-

Special Responsibility:
Leader of the Council	£9037	1	£9100	200% of BA
Deputy Leader	£6001	1	£6060	66% of Leader’s Allowance
Cabinet Members	£3012	6¹	£4550	50% of Leader’s Allowance
Planning Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£3600	40% of Leader’s Allowance
Licensing Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£3200	35% of Leader’s Allowance
Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£3200	35% of Leader’s Allowance
Audit Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£2500	25% of Leader’s Allowance

Opposition Group Leader	£3012	1	£3100	-

Co-Optees’ Allowance	£1000 (Chair) £500 (Vice-Chair)	1 1	£1000 (Chair) £500 (Vice-Chair)	-

¹ Based on the existing Cabinet and excluding the Leader and Deputy Leader

Allowance for expenditure incurred in relation to Approved Duties (Schedule 1 to Scheme)	Current amount for 2015/16	Recommended Allowance for 2016/17
Dependants’Carer’s Allowance	Reimbursement of actual costs incurred	unchanged

Travelling and Subsistence Allowances
Motor Mileage Allowance (per mile) Cars Motorcycles Cycle	Up to 999cc – 46.9p 1000cc – 1199cc – 52.2p 1200cc and over – 65p 24p Nil	unchanged unchanged 20p
Day Subsistence Allowance	Reimbursement of actual costs incurred	unchanged

That no changes be made to the Scheme of Members’ Allowances in relation to the rules on claiming Special Responsibility Allowances.

That the minor clarification made to the original list of Approved Duties which was put before the Council in 2015/16.

The following amendment to the Basic and Special Responsibility Allowances was moved by Councillor S.C. Mooney and seconded by Councillor H.R. Williams:

Allowance	Current amount for 2015/16	Number	Recommended Allowance for 2016/17	Recommended Allowance Calculation
Basic (BA):	£3938	39	£5785	-

Special Responsibility:
Leader of the Council	£9037	1	£13,306	230% Basic Allowance
Deputy Leader	£6001	1	£8,782	66% of Leader’s Allowance
Cabinet Members	£3012	6¹	£6,653	50% of Leader’s Allowance
Planning Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£5,322	40% of Leader’s Allowance
Licensing Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£4,657	35% of Leader’s Allowance
Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£4,657	35% of Leader’s Allowance
Audit Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£3,327	25% of Leader’s Allowance

Opposition Group Leader	£3012	1	£3100	-

Co-Optees’ Allowance	£1000 (Chair) £500 (Vice-Chair)	1 1	£1000 (Chair) £500 (Vice-Chair)	-

The amendment was carried.

The Mayor then invited councillors to vote on the substantive motion proposed by Councillor S.C. Mooney.

The substantive motion was carried.

Resolved that the following recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel and the amended figures to the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2016-17 be approved and back-dated to 1 April 2016:

Allowance	Current amount for 2015/16	Number	Recommended Allowance for 2016/17	Recommended Allowance Calculation
Basic (BA):	£3938	39	£5785	-

Special Responsibility:
Leader of the Council	£9037	1	£13,306	230% Basic Allowance
Deputy Leader	£6001	1	£8,782	66% of Leader’s Allowance
Cabinet Members	£3012	6¹	£6,653	50% of Leader’s Allowance
Planning Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£5,322	40% of Leader’s Allowance
Licensing Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£4,657	35% of Leader’s Allowance
Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£4,657	35% of Leader’s Allowance
Audit Committee Chairman	£3012	1	£3,327	25% of Leader’s Allowance

Opposition Group Leader	£3012	1	£3100	-

Co-Optees’ Allowance	£1000 (Chair) £500 (Vice-Chair)	1 1	£1000 (Chair) £500 (Vice-Chair)	-

¹ Based on the existing Cabinet and excluding the Leader and Deputy Leader

Allowance for expenditure incurred in relation to Approved Duties (Schedule 1 to Scheme)	Current amount for 2015/16	Recommended Allowance for 2016/17
Dependants’Carer’s Allowance	Reimbursement of actual costs incurred	unchanged

Travelling and Subsistence Allowances
Motor Mileage Allowance (per mile) Cars Motorcycles Cycle	Up to 999cc – 46.9p 1000cc – 1199cc – 52.2p 1200cc and over – 65p 24p Nil	unchanged unchanged 20p
Day Subsistence Allowance	Reimbursement of actual costs incurred	unchanged

That no changes be made to the Scheme of Members’ Allowances in relation to the rules on claiming Special Responsibility Allowances.

That the minor clarification made to the original list of Approved Duties which was put before the Council in 2015/16.

Reasons for the decision:

· There has been no increase in members’ Basic Allowance for 8 years;

· Members’ responsibilities have increased substantially in that time;

· To take into account the changes of the responsibility of the Leader since the Council adopted the “strong leader” and Cabinet form of governance;

· The IRP proposal to reduce the Leader’s Special Responsibility Allowance from 2.3 times to 2.0 times was counter intuitive;

· To attract and retain people from a more diverse range of backgrounds to stand as candidates for election as Councillors;

· To deliver a Council chamber that more accurately reflects the socio-economic profile of the Spelthorne local population;

· To give compensation for loss of Local Government Pension Scheme to which councillors were no longer entitled;

· To help councillors to fulfil their role as councillors with more funds at their disposal;

· That the highest allowance available, the Leader’s Special Responsibility Allowance is still lower than the lowest pay grade available to Spelthorne Council employees.

Supporting documents: