Issue - meetings

(Report of the Head of Legal Services and Head of Local Democracy)  To make the scheme of Members’ Allowances for the year 2007/08.

Councillors Griffith, Adje, Dobbie, Patel and Beynon declared an interest in this item, by nature of their status as Members.

The committee received this report making the Scheme of Members’ Allowances for the year 2007/08.

The Legal Services Representative informed the committee of the background to the proposed allowance scheme.  It was noted that the Council had a statutory obligation to make the scheme each year.  This year’s allowances were informed by a report from an Independent Panel on the remuneration of Councillors in London, which had been considered by the Council on 13 November 2006. The report addressed annualising the payments to co-optees as required under the Regulations.

Members noted that the proposed babysitting and dependants allowance set out in Appendix 2, paragraph 8.01 proposed a maximum rate of £5.05 an hour, equivalent to the national minimum wage at the time of the writing of the report.  However, reflecting both the recently announced rise in the minimum wage, it was recommended that this figure be increased to £5.72.  Members also expressed their preference that this allowance be pegged to future rises in the minimum wage.  Members additionally requested information from Officers on the verification of the validity of allowance claims of this nature.

Members expressed their opinion that the proposed additional allowances for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor were disproportionately low compared to the Special Responsibility Allowances (SRA) for other Councillors.  Members were made aware that it was not possible to include the Mayor and Deputy as a direct part of the SRA bands, as the provision for their allowances was given by the 1972 Local Government Act.  Members then recommended that the Deputy Mayor’s allowance be raised to the same level as that of SRA Band 1 (£7,500), and that the Mayor’s allowance be raised to the same level as that of SRA Band 2 (£15,000), subject to Members consulting with their respective groups.

In addition, Members requested that references to the Head of Member Services in the report be altered to read Head of Local Democracy & Member Services, reflecting the recent changes in the structure of the organisation.

RESOLVED:

1.       That the committee recommend to Full Council that the babysitting and dependants allowance rise in line to the minimum wage at £5.72.

2.        That Officers provide to the committee a response on mechanisms for the verification of babysitting and dependants allowance for Members.

3.       That the committee recommend to Full Council that the proposed additional allowances for the Deputy Mayor be raised to £7,500, and for the Mayor to £15,000, subject to Members consulting with their respective groups.

4.       That, subject to the changes detailed above, the committee recommend the report to Full Council.