Agenda item

To receive the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel’s report and to consider the recommendations therein.

At the invitation of the Chairman, the Cabinet member for Corporate Services, Councillor Richard Clewer, presented a report which set the financial context for the report on the agenda from the Independent Remuneration Panel. He thanked the Panel for their work reviewing the Scheme, which had involved comparisons with other authorities and submissions from members. He highlighted the small number of proposed changes to the scheme in terms of the remuneration of specific roles, the overall cost being very similar, and in particular that, as had been the case for the last four years, annual adjustments to the basic allowance and special responsibility allowances would be indexed to the annual pay award to council staff.

 

Following the invitation of the Chairman, Group Leaders commented broadly in support of the proposals from the Independent Panel.

 

Having been duly proposed and seconded, and upon being put to the vote, it

was,

 

Resolved

 

To accept the recommendations made in the Independent Remuneration Panel’s report, without amendment, as follows:

 

(1)      To adopt the annual pay award to the majority of council staff subject to the NJC local government services terms and conditions as the index by which annual adjustments are made to the basic allowance, currently £12,811.80. The same index will apply to the special responsibility allowances (SRA) payable to individual councillors, co-opted members and the group leaders’ allowance. Indexing will apply for the period up to 2020/2021. 

 

(2)      All of the allowances recommended in this report are unless stated otherwise backdated to 8 May 2017, being the first day of office for elected councillors and will be rounded to the nearest pound. All figures given below are subject to that backdated indexing.

 

(3)      The Council maintains the maximum cap of 2 SRAs be payable to individual councillors.

 

(4)      The Leader’s SRA remains at 250% of the basic allowance resulting in an SRA of £32,028.98 per annum (Band 1).

 

(5)      The Deputy Leader SRA remains at 80% of the Leader SRA or £25,622.56 per annum (Band 2).

 

(6)      The Cabinet Member SRA remains at 60% of the Leader SRA or £19,217.18 per annum (Band 3).

 

(7)      The Chairman of Council SRA remains at 40% of the Leader SRA or £12,811.80 (Band 4).

 

(8)      The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee SRA is increased to 40% of the Leader SRA or £12,811.80 (Band 4).

 

(9)      The Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board SRA remains at 30% of the Leader SRA or £9,608.07 per annum (Band 5).

 

(10)   The Chairman of the Police and Crime Panel SRA be reduced to 22.5% of the Leader SRA or £7206.05 per annum  (Band 6).

 

(11)   The Portfolio Holders’ SRA remains at 22.5% of the Leader SRA or £7,206.05 per annum (Band 6).

 

(12)   SRAs for the Chairmen of the Children’s Select Committee, the Environment Select Committee and the Health Select Committee remains at 22.5% of the Leader SRA or £7,206.05 per annum (Band 6).

 

(13)   The Vice-Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee SRA remains at 22.5% of the Leader SRA or £7,206.05 per annum (Band 6).

 

(14)   The Chairman of Area Board SRA remains at 22.5% of the Leader SRA or £7,206.05 per annum (Band 6).

 

(15)   The Vice-Chairman of the Council SRA remains at 20% of the Leader SRA or £6405.38 per annum (Band 7).

 

(16)   The Chairman of Area Planning Committee SRA remains at 20% of the Leader SRA or £6405.38 per annum (Band 7).

 

(17)   The Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee SRA is increased to 20% of the Leader SRA or £6405.38 per annum (Band 7).

 

(18)   The Chairman of Licensing Committee SRA remains at 10% of the Leader SRA or £3,202.69 per annum (Band 8).

 

(19)   The Chairman of the Audit Committee SRA remains at 10% of the Leader SRA or £3,202.69 per annum (Band 8).

 

(20)   The Chairman of the Staffing Policy Committee SRA remains at 10% of the Leader SRA or £3,202.69 per annum (Band 8).

 

(21)   The Chairman of the Wiltshire Pension Fund Committee SRA remains at 10% of the Leader SRA or £3,202.69 per annum (Band 8).

 

(22)   The Chairmen of the Operational Flood Working Groups’ SRA remains at 10% of the Leader SRA or £3,202.69 per annum (Band 8).

 

(23)   The Chairman of the Standards Committee’s allowance remains at 10% of the Leader SRA or £3,202.69 per annum (Band 8).

 

(24)   The allowance for the Lead representative on South West Councils SRA be removed.

 

(25)   (a)  The scrutiny fund, which is intended to reward Councillors performing specific scrutiny functions such as chairing task groups, rapid scrutiny exercises, serving on active project boards and acting as Vice Chairmen of Select Committees, is retained within the scheme at £15,000.

 

(b)  The fund is to be allocated by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee in accordance with a scheme which it will approve annually.

 

(26)   The Group Leader Allowance to be allocated as follows:

 

(a)  Group Leaders to receive a flat rate allowance dependent on level of representation on the council with the following proportions:

 

I)             For Groups holding at least 30% of seats the Leader will receive an allowance of £8000.00.

II)            For Groups holding at least 20% of seats the Leader will receive an allowance of £6000.00.

III)          For Groups holding at least 10% of seats the Leader will receive an allowance of £2000.00.

IV)          For Groups holding fewer than 10% of seats the Leader will receive a proportion of £2000 allowance

 

(b)  The Group Responsibility Allowance be removed.

 

(c)  The Group Leader Allowance remains exempt from the SRA per Councillor cap.

 

(d)  The Group Leader Allowance to receive annual adjustment as detailed in recommendation 1, but not to be backdated to 8 May 2017.

 

(27)       The remuneration for the Independent Persons for Standards to be increased to £2,336.00 per annum

 

(28)       The Co-opted Members of the Standards Committee’s allowance to be increased to £1,168.00 per annum.

 

(29)       The Co-opted Member of the Children’s Select Committee’s allowance to be increased to £934.00 per annum.

 

(30)       The Co-opted Members of the Police and Crime Panel’s allowance to be increased to £2,008.00 per annum.

 

(31)       To confirm Panel agreement with the February 2017 decision of Council to remove the payment of a Technology Allowance of £250 per Councillor from the scheme.

 

(32)       To remove paragraph 15 of the scheme concerning the withholding of allowances to reflect changes in legislation.

 

(33)       All other aspects of the scheme are, for the avoidance of doubt, confirmed as remaining unchanged.

 

Admin Note: Following a request for noting, Councillor Graham Payne voted against the motion and Councillor George Jeans abstained from the vote.