Agenda item

Council will consider the recommendation submitted to it by the Standards Committee in relation to the Independent Remuneration Panel’s and Independent Persons’ term of office, exploring alternative options and future recruitment.

Council considered a report of the Assistant Director (Governance) & Monitoring Officer (A.4) which enabled Council to consider the recommendations submitted to it by the Standards Committee in relation to the Independent Remuneration Panel’s and Independent Persons’ term of office, exploring alternative options and future recruitment.

Members were informed that, at its meeting held on 20 March 2024 (Minute 13 referred), the Standards Committee had considered a report of the Assistant Director (Governance) & Monitoring Officer in relation to the Independent Remuneration Panel and Independent Persons’ term of office, exploring alternative options and future recruitment, with a view to making relevant recommendations to Full Council.

At that meeting it had been:-

“RESOLVED that the Standards Committee -

(a)    notes the contents of this report (A.1);

(b)    recommends to Full Council that:

(i)      the previous local arrangements for joint appointments to both roles, being the Independent Remuneration Panel and Independent Persons ceases;

(ii)     future arrangements continue to be explored for a joint Independent Remuneration Panel with other Councils, and the delegation for recruitment be extended to the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer for recommendations to be made to a future meeting of Full Council;

(iii)   for the purposes of (b)(ii) the term of office of future Independent Remuneration Panel members be for a period of up to 7 years, being staggered if appropriate, to cover the Review of the Members’ Allowances Scheme required for 2026/27 and into the next term of office for District Councillors; and

(iv)   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 a separate recruitment exercise to be undertaken for the sole role of Independent Person.”    

A copy of the published report to the Standards Committee meeting held on 20 March 2024 was attached as an appendix to the Assistant Director (Governance) & Monitoring Officer’s report (A.4).

The Leader of the Council (Councillor M E Stephenson) informed Council that the previous Chairman of the Standards Committee (Councillor Talbot) had stepped down due to ill health. Councillor Stephenson thanked Councillor Talbot for his services. Councillor Stephenson also pointed out that the newly elected Chairman of the Standards Committee (Councillor Wiggins) was absent as she was on holiday.

It was thereupon moved by Councillor M E Stephensonand:-

RESOLVED that Council approves that –

(a)    the previous local arrangements for joint appointments to both roles, being the Independent Remuneration Panel and Independent Persons ceases;

(b)    future arrangements continue to be explored for a joint Independent Remuneration Panel with other Councils, and the delegation for recruitment be extended to the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer for recommendations to be made to a future meeting of Full Council;

(c)    for the purposes of (b) above the term of office of future Independent Remuneration Panel members be for a period of up to 7 years, being staggered if appropriate, to cover the Review of the Members’ Allowances Scheme required for 2026/27 and into the next term of office for District Councillors; and

(d)    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 a separate recruitment exercise to be undertaken for the sole role of Independent Person.