Agenda item

To update Council on the arrangements for appointing an Independent Remuneration Panel and to seek agreement of the proposed process, scope and terms of reference of the subsequent review of the Member Allowances Scheme.

Councillor Boden presented the report to members and advised that this is a legal requirement and all councils every 4 years must conduct an independent review of councillors remuneration, with the last full review being conducted in 2019 and an interim review in 2021. He made the point that members should play no part in the decision on who is going to be appointed to the panel, which is a role for officers.

Members made comments as follows:

·       Councillor Booth stated that as Councillor Boden said this is a legal requirement and he has two questions, the first being about Parish and Town Council allowances as at the previous review it was last minute that it was realised that a review or set guidance for local parish and town council allowances but it is not clear from this report whether the allowance scheme for them will be considered. He feels doing a search on the Council’s website for Members’ Allowances does not result in anything that give anyone, even a member of the public, what the existing allowance scheme is so he feels clarification is needed that this will include the allowance scheme for Parish and Town Councils. Councillor Booth referred to the selection criteria with it having that they must live in Fenland and his understanding is of the previous reviews that this has not been so restrictive and actually appointed people outside the District, who have had good experience so he wonders why it is being restricted in this manner. Councillor Boden responded that he was going to have to try to remember what it says in the Local Government Act 1983 concerning Parish and Town Council allowances, whilst it might be viewed that Parish and Town Councils do not get allowances this is not what the legislation says but if his recollection is correct where it is agreed by a Parish or Town Council that they will make a payment to their Chairman or their Mayor then it is permissible for them also to make a payment to their councillors but so far as that is concerned the Council’s review does not cover those amounts as these are to be set by the individual Parish or Town Councils if they wish to do so but to his knowledge no Parish or Town Council have ever made payments.

·       Councillor Tierney confirmed that it is absolutely allowed for Parish or Town Councils to pay an allowance to the councillors as it did come to Wisbech Town Council a couple of years ago and it was rejected.  He would urge any councillor who sits on a Parish or Town Council to do the same as one of the things that is powerful about parish level councils is the fact that they are all volunteers and the role is undertaken to help the area for no payment and paying an allowance even a small one changes the nature of the contract with the voting public. Councillor Tierney stated in regards to the District Council it is a legal requirement and when it is undertaken there is the possibility of being interviewed by the panel and his advice would be to tell them is that councillors do not want or need any allowance rise during this financial time of hardship.

·       Councillor Boden referred to Councillor Booth’s second question in relation to restricting applicants to Fenland and answered that those who live in Fenland are more likely to understand Fenland and what actually happens here but it is also appropriate to look to provide opportunities for people within Fenland where it is possible rather than spread the net wider unnecessarily and there are plenty of people who are qualified within Fenland to do this role and there is not the need to look outside of the District.

·       Councillor Booth stated that it was down to the Independent Panel to make a recommendation for Parish and Town Councils to take into consideration and there are two different types of allowances in Parish and Town Councils, a Chairman’s allowance and a general councillor allowance but reiterated that it was only realised at the last review that this needed to be looked at and was reported later and is the reason why he is raising it so the Council does not fall foul of this issue again.

Proposed by Councillor Boden, seconded by Councillor Booth and agreed

·       to note the requirement to appoint an Independent Remuneration Panel;

·       to delegate oversight of the appointment and final selection of Independent Remuneration Panel members to the Monitoring Officer and Assistant Director for Governance in consultation with Group Leaders and in accordance with the Job Description and Person Specification set out at Schedule A; and

·       that the scope of the Member Allowances Scheme review be as set out within the report and the associated timetable at Schedule B and to include the recommendation for Parish and Town Council allowances.

(Councillor Mockett left the meeting during the discussion on this item and was not present for the remaining agenda items)