Agenda item

Council were requested to consider the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel regarding the review of the Scheme of Members’ Allowances and approve the recommendations as outlined in the report.

The Leader of the Council took the opportunity to convey his appreciation to Declan Hall and his team for undertaking the review.

RESOLVED that

a)    the Performance Special Responsibility Allowance be discontinued and the Basic Allowance be reset to £6,717;

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;

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 Leader of the Council’s Special Responsibility Allowance remains at £19,852;

e)    there be no change to the following Special Responsibility Allowances:

f)     the Special Responsibility Allowance for the two Deputy Leaders be maintained at 75% of the Leader’s Special Responsibility Allowance (£19,852), which equates to £14,889;

g)    the Special Responsibility Allowance for the Chairs of Scrutiny Panels A and B is reset at 30% of the Leader’s SRA (£19,852), which equates to £5,956;

h)    the Special Responsibility Allowance for the Vice Chairs of Scrutiny Panels A and B is reset at £1,687;

i)     the Special Responsibility Allowance for the Leader of the Main Opposition Group is reset based on two group sized bandings as follows:

?  7 or more Members - £7,941 (40% of Leader’s SRA)

?  2-6 Members - £4,963 (25% of Leader’s SRA);

j)     if there are two Main Opposition Groups of equal size, then the Main Opposition Group Leader’s higher Special Responsibility Allowance be divided equally between each Main Opposition Group Leader, regardless of group size, which equates to £3,713 with the same principle being extended should  there be more than two Main Opposition Groups;

k)    the Special Responsibility Allowance for the Deputy Leader of the Main Opposition   Group be paid only when the Main Opposition Group has seven or more Members:

?  7 or more Members - £1,191 (15% of Group Leader’s SRA)

?  Less than 7 Members – no SRA payable;

l)     If there are two Main Opposition Groups of equal size, then the Main Opposition Group Deputy Leader’s SRA be divided equally between each Main Opposition Group Deputy Leader, regardless of group size, which equates to £595 with the same principle being extended should there be more than two Main Opposition Groups;

m)  the Leaders of the Other Opposition Groups continue to receive a Special Responsibility Allowance of £323 per Group Member if their group reaches the qualifying threshold of having four or more Members;

n)    provision for a Co-optees Allowance at £323 for the Co-optees that may be appointed to the Standards and Personnel Appeals Committee be maintained;

o)    the Members’ Allowances Scheme be amended to clarify that where a Member is using an electric or hybrid vehicle on an approved duty outside the Authority, that they are able to claim mileage at AMAP rates, which is currently 45p per mile;

p)    the current rates and terms and conditions for claiming Travel and Subsistence Allowances outside the Authority be maintained;

q)    the maximum hourly rate claimable under the childcare element of the DCA be maintained at the National Living Wage, currently £8.21 per hour, and the maximum hourly rate claimable under the other dependents element of the DCA be capped at £15 per hour (this rate may be claimed for dependents who require any kind of specialised care, including children);

r)     if it is known that a Member has caring responsibilities, then the DCA be specifically brought to their attention;

s)    the current Civic Allowances paid to the Chair (£7,888) and Vice Chair (4,523) be maintained;

t)     the Council adopts a policy for when a Member is on long-term paternity/adoption and sickness leave so that the consequences of such leave is clear to any affected Member.

u)    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:

1.  Basic Allowance, Civic Allowance, and Co-optees’ Allowance:

Indexed to the annual percentage salary increase for local government staff (at spinal column 49) 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;

2.  Mileage Allowance (Outside Authority only):

Members’ mileage allowances rates to continue to be indexed to HMRC AMAP rates.

3.  Subsistence Allowances (Outside Authority only):

The Subsistence Allowances should continue to be indexed to the same rates that are applicable to Officers;

4.  The DCA:

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 49) as agreed each year by the National Joint Council for Local Government Service;

v)    the new scheme of Member’s Allowances based on the recommendations contained in the report, be adopted from the date of the Annual Council meeting on 23 April 2020.