Agenda item

To enable the Council to consider an extension to the term of office for the members of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) following Council’s decision on 24 January 2023.

Council considered an extension to the term of office for the members of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) following Council’s decision on 24 January 2023.

Members were aware that the term of office for the existing Independent Remuneration Panel lasted until Annual Council in May 2023 and that following a reference report from the Standards Committee, Council had approved on 22 November 2022 (minute 52 referred):-

(a)    that alternative arrangements for the Independent Remuneration Panel are explored further in order to maximise options available with other Councils within Essex and to give consideration to the outcome prior to any future recruitment; and

(b)    that the term of office for those Independent Persons, who express an interest in doing so, be extended for a further year without an application process, in order to allow the review within recommendation (a) above to be undertaken.

Council was reminded that the reason for only extending the Independent Person part of the role was on the basis that, in January 2023, it had been anticipated, the Independent Remuneration Panel would present to Full Council, a Scheme of Members’ Allowances for the period 2023/24 until 2027/28.  Therefore, should Council approve such a Scheme, joint working could be explored until the recommendations of the IRP would be required. 

However, at its meeting in January 2023, the Council had received the Report of the Head of Democratic Services and Elections following the Review of the Scheme of Members' Allowances by the IRP.  It had been moved by Councillor Stock OBE and seconded by Councillor M E Stephenson that, inter alia, –

(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;

…

Members were further reminded that one of the recommendations from the IRP (No. (6)) had stated:

“That there be an expectation that no Councillor be eligible to claim more than two separate Special Responsibility Allowances; Reason: The Allowances Scheme needs to set remuneration at an appropriate level and the undertaking of different roles by an individual Councillor should be recompensed appropriately. It is important to preserve the capacity of Councillors to undertake their Ward related activities with resident casework. Under this expectation, a Councillor otherwise eligible for more than two Special Responsibility Allowances should not normally take that/those further Allowances. 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 I J Henderson had opined that the procedure for determining a Councillor’s request to receive a third or subsequent Special Responsibility Allowance should be altered, because he felt that this placed an undue, and potentially politically controversial, burden on the Chief Executive and he therefore had 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 had both concurred with Councillor Henderson’s suggestion and had agreed to incorporate it within their original motion pursuant to the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.6(b) (Alteration of Motion).

Councillor Stock’s motion, as now amended, following the vote was declared CARRIED (Minute 77).

Council was advised that, currently, post May 2023, the Council would be unable to action the approval of any additional allowances, because the Chief Executive would not have an IRP to consult with following the expiry of their term of office. Therefore, in order to be able to comply with Council’s intentions, if such a situation arose, an extension to the term of office for those Independent Remuneration Panel members, who expressed an interest in doing so, was necessary.  The proposal was therefore to extend for a further year without an application process, in order to allow the joint working review to be undertaken.

It was moved by Councillor Stock OBE, seconded by Councillor I J Henderson and:-

RESOLVED that Council approves that the term of office for those Independent Remuneration Panel members, who express an interest in doing so, be extended for a further year without an application process.