Agenda item

To consider any potential uplift in the current Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2022/23.

 

To determine the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2023/24 and beyond.

 

(REPORT IS “TO FOLLOW”)

Minutes:

Council considered the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel and had regard to the Panel’s recommendations therein in determining the uplift to be applied to the Basic and Special Responsibility Allowances in the scheme for 2022/23 and in approving the Scheme of Allowances for Members for 2023/24 (and until 2027/28).

 

Members were aware that the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel had been meeting over the past few months as it considered the separate, but related, elements of the Scheme of Allowances for Members of the Council.  Those elements were, firstly, what uplift should be applied to the Basic and Special Responsibility Allowances for Councillors in 2022/23 following the pay award for Council staff approved in late 2022.  The second element was the entire Scheme of Members’ Allowances that should be put in place for 2023/24 (and for the period to 2027/28 with an index link).  In concluding the Panel’s work, it had produced a report, which was set out as the Appendix to item A.5 of the Report of the Head of Democratic Services and Elections.  It was a legal requirement that the Council could only make (changes to) its Scheme of Members’ Allowances after receiving a report from its Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP).

 

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE and seconded by Councillor M E Stephenson that –

 

(a)    the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel (set out in the Appendix to this report), following that Panel’s review of the appropriate uplift to be applied to Basic and Special Responsibility Allowances in the scheme for 2022/23 and the Scheme of Allowances for Councillors for 2023/24 (and until 2027/28) be welcomed and duly noted;

 

(b)    that the recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel set out on pages 10-13 of the Appendix be agreed in full;

 

(c)   that Members appointed to the role of Chairman of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Joint Committee and the role of being appointed by the Council as a Director of a Company, be categorised as level A allowance and Members of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Joint Committee be categorised as level C allowance, understanding the additional responsibilities and obligations that places, in accordance with the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel on pages 11 and 12 of the appendix;

 

(d)   that, having determined uplift to be applied to Basic and Special Responsibility Allowances in the scheme for 2022/23 and the Scheme of Allowances for Councillors for 2023/24 (and until 2027/28), authority be given to update Part 7 of the Council’s Constitution accordingly; and

 

(e)   that the Chief Executive be authorised, in exceptional circumstances, to designate as approved duties such events for travel claim purposes where attendance by (a) Councillor(s) would be in the interests of the Council and the event otherwise has not been so designated.

 

Councillor Stock’s reasons for moving an amendment to the recommendations made by the Independent Remuneration Panel were as follows:-

 

“In order to address the very examples identified by the IRP in their report for allocating allowances to special responsibility where no allowance is currently provided for (as those responsibilities were new after the 2020 review by the IRP).  The Tendring/Colchester Border Garden Community Joint Committee only had its first meeting 11 months ago and decision to authorise the Council to join the Freeport East Company as a founding Member (and to have a Director of the Company) is only three months old. As such, there was limited evidence for the IRP to consider in 2022/23 about those responsibilities and the IRP has provided the Council with the mechanism to allocate such allowances in these circumstances.”

 

The following advice of the Monitoring Officer had been circulated to Members prior to the commencement of the meeting:-

 

“The Scheme of Allowances for Councillors for 2023/24 (and until 2027/28) recommended by the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), if adopted by Full Council, introduces a new categorisation table for Special Responsibilities to allow the Council to respond to new and amended responsibilities over the lifetime of the Scheme.  Within their recommendations they have specifically stated that this could include the roles of the Chairman and/or Members of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Joint Committee and the role of being appointed by the Council as a Director of a Company, understanding the additional responsibilities and obligations that places.

 

The additional wording suggested through the amendment, does not depart from the Scheme recommended by the IRP but allows Full Council to categorise these roles now, at the same time as adopting the Scheme.  If adopted, this will ensure that Members appointed, post elections, to all relevant existing positions, will receive the identified Special Responsibility Allowances for their roles.”

 

The following advice of the Section 151 Officer had been circulated to Members prior to the commencement of the meeting:-

 

“The financial implications to categorise the roles, suggested by the Independent Remuneration Panel, at the level proposed would increase the Members’ Allowances by £12,144, should Tendring District Council retain the Chairmanship of the TCBGC Joint Committee for 2023/24, if not the amount would be reduced to £9,072.  As indicated in the covering report for the Review of the Scheme of Allowances for Councillors, following the decision of Council, the overall budget for Members’ Allowances will be incorporated into the Council’s budget for 2023/24.”

 

Councillors I J Henderson and Baker addressed the meeting on the subject matter of Councillor Stock’s motion.

 

Councillor I J Henderson opined that the procedure for determining a Councillor’s request to receive a third or subsequent Special Responsibility Allowance should be altered. The procedure as currently proposed by the IRP was:-

 

“…However, if they make the specific case and lodge this with the Council’s Chief Executive (who may seek the views of the Independent Remuneration Panel) that/those further Allowances may be paid with the approval of the Chief Executive.”

 

Councillor Henderson felt that this placed an undue, and potentially politically controversial, burden on the Chief Executive and he therefore suggested the following alternative:-

 

“…However, if they make the specific case and lodge this with the Council’s Chief Executive (who will then seek the views of the Independent Remuneration Panel) that/those further Allowances may be paid with the approval of the Full Council, who will have had regard to the views of the IRP in making its decision.”

 

Councillor Stock OBE and Councillor M E Stephenson both concurred with Councillor Henderson’s suggestion and agreed to incorporate it within the original motion pursuant to the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6(b) (Alteration of Motion).

 

Councillor Stock’s motion, as now amended, on being put to the vote was declared CARRIED.

Supporting documents: