Agenda item

Council was presented with the final report of the Independent Remuneration

Panel following a review of Ashfield District Council’s Members’ Allowances Scheme carried out in February 2024. Members were asked to consider the findings of the Independent Remuneration Panel and determine whether to accept the recommendations within the final report.

RESOLVED that

a)    the Basic Allowance is maintained at £7,884, subject to any indexation that may be applicable;

b)    the Basic Allowance continues to cover the cost of ‘incidental’ expenses Members may incur while carrying out their duties, such as telephone calls from their home landlines, calls on personal mobile phones, using broadband from home and printer and IT consumables, etc;

c)    the Basic Allowance continues to be deemed to cover in-authority travel and subsistence costs that Members may incur in carrying out their Council duties;

d)    the Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) for the Leader be maintained at £23,301, subject to any applicable indexation;

e)    it be agreed that there is no change to the following SRAs:

f)     the SRA for the two Deputy Leaders is maintained at 75 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £17,476, subject to any applicable indexation;

g)    the SRA for the 7 Executive Lead Members is maintained at 60 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £13,981, subject to any applicable indexation;

h)    the SRA for the Chairman of the Licensing Committee is maintained at 20 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £4,660, subject to any applicable indexation;

i)     the SRA for the Chairman of the Local Plan Development Committee is maintained at 30 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £6,990, subject to any applicable indexation;

j)     the SRA for the Vice Chairman of the Local Plan Development Committee is maintained at 8.5 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £1,981, subject to any applicable indexation;

k)    the SRA for the Chairman of the Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee is maintained at 20 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £4,660, subject to any applicable indexation;

l)     the SRA for the Leader of the Main Opposition Group, where the Group has less than 7 Members is maintained at 25 per cent of the Leader’s SRA (£23,301) and paid at £5,825, subject to any applicable indexation;

m)  provision for Co-optees’ Allowances is maintained and reset as follows:

·         Co-optees appointed to the Standards & Personnel Appeals Committee to be reset at £540, subject to any applicable indexation;

·         If there are Co-optees appointed to the Audit Committee these will be paid at £1,080, subject to any applicable indexation;

n)    the allowances scheme be amended to clarify that where a Member is using an electric or hybrid vehicle on an approved duty outwith the Authority that they are able to claim mileage at HMRC AMAP rates, which is currently 45p per mile;

o)    the current rates and terms and conditions for claiming Travel and Subsistence Allowances outwith the Authority are maintained;

p)    the Dependants’ Carers Allowance (DCA) be maintained with two claimable rates depending on the type of care as follows:

·         Childcare element: maximum hourly rate claimable is maintained at the National Living Wage (NLW);

·         Other Dependents element maximum hourly rate claimable capped at £19.80 per hour; this rate may be claimed for dependants who require any type of specialised care including children;

q)    the current Civic Allowances paid to the Chair (£9,251) and Vice Chair (£5,309) is maintained, subject to any applicable indexation;

r)     the following indices are applied for the legal maximum of four years to the remuneration and allowances paid to Members of Ashfield District Council as follows:

Basic Allowance, SRAs, Civic Allowances and Co-optees’ Allowance:

·         Indexed to the annual percentage salary increase for local government staff (at spinal column point 43) as agreed each year by the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services; to be implemented from the start of the municipal year. Also known as the NJC index;

Mileage Allowance (Outwith only):

·         Members’ mileage allowances rates to continue to be indexed to HMRC AMAP rates;

Subsistence Allowances (Outwith only):

·         The subsistence allowances should continue to be indexed to the same rates that are applicable to Officers;

The Dependants’ Carers Allowance:

·         Childcare: maximum rates to be indexed to the National Living Wage.

·         Social/Medical care: maximum rates to be indexed to the annual percentage salary increase for local government staff (at spinal column point 43) as agreed each year by the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services.