Agenda item

*RESOLVED – That it be recommended to Full Council;

1.   That the report of the Independent Remuneration (IR) Panel be considered by Full Council and it be determinedwhether or notto approvesome orall ofthe Panel's recommendations.

2.   That the new scheme of allowances, when determined, be adopted and implemented from 1 April 2024.

3.   That the description of the Telecommunications Allowance be amended in line with the IR Panel’s recommendation.

4.   That the IR Panel’s report be published in the press and on the Council website and be adopted and implemented with immediate effect.

5.    That a supplementary estimate to meet theadditional costs outlined in para 5.4 of the report be approved.

6.    That bothits appreciation andthanks to the members of the IRPanel be expressed by Full Council for the thorough and efficient way in which they carried out the review.

7.   That the basic allowance, special responsibility allowances, subsistence allowance and Mayoral Allowance be updated annually inline with the annual percentage pay increase given to ChesterfieldBorough Council employees (or by a percentage equivalent to that of the mean/median pay increase, in the event of a flat rate increase) asagreed foreach financial year bythe NationalJoint Councilfor Local Government Staff until 31March, 2027 unless the Council has beforethen sought afurther recommendation fromits IR Panelon theirapplication in this scheme.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

1.      The Council's Members' Allowances Scheme mustbe reviewed on a periodic basis, as required by the LocalGovernment Act 2000 and The Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003.

2.      The Council has a legal duty to have regard to the IR Panel’s recommendations.

The Head of Regulatory Law & Monitoring Officer presented a report for Cabinet to consider the report and recommendations of theIndependent Remuneration Panel(IR Panel) followingits recentreviewoftheMembers'Allowances Scheme. The Cabinet were also invited to make their own representations on the IR Panel’s report and recommendations for consideration by Full Council when the matter came before it on Wednesday, 13 December 2023.   

The IR Panel was convened in accordance with the terms of reference agreed by Cabinet on 19 September 2023, and asked to make recommendations on:

·        The amount of Basic Allowance to be paid to all Members.

·        The roles for which a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) should be payable and the amount of such allowances.

·        The amount of Dependent Carers Allowance and other Allowances to be paid.

·        Pensions for Members.

·        Arrangements for the payment of SRAs in the event of a Member being unable to fulfil their duties for an extended length of time e.g., as a result of long-term illness.

Full details of the IR Panel’s recommendations were provided in paragraphs 4.3 to 4.8 of the report.

The Leader of the Council recommended to Cabinet that the new scheme of Members’ Allowances, as set out in the IR Panel’s report, be adopted but with effect from 1 April 2024 and not 1 April 2023.

Councillor Holmes asked for his vote to be recorded against the Cabinet resolution for the new scheme of Members’ Allowances to be adopted by Full Council.

*RESOLVED – That it be recommended to Full Council;

1.   That the report of the Independent Remuneration (IR) Panel be considered by Full Council and it be determinedwhether or notto approvesome orall ofthe Panel's recommendations.

2.   That the new scheme of allowances, when determined, be adopted and implemented from 1 April 2024.

3.   That the description of the Telecommunications Allowance be amended in line with the IR Panel’s recommendation.

4.   That the IR Panel’s report be published in the press and on the Council website and be adopted and implemented with immediate effect.

5.    That a supplementary estimate to meet theadditional costs outlined in para 5.4 of the report be approved.

6.    That bothits appreciation andthanks to the members of the IRPanel be expressed by Full Council for the thorough and efficient way in which they carried out the review.

7.   That the basic allowance, special responsibility allowances, subsistence allowance and Mayoral Allowance be updated annually inline with the annual percentage pay increase given to ChesterfieldBorough Council employees (or by a percentage equivalent to that of the mean/median pay increase, in the event of a flat rate increase) asagreed foreach financial year bythe NationalJoint Councilfor Local Government Staff until 31March, 2027 unless the Council has beforethen sought afurther recommendation fromits IR Panelon theirapplication in this scheme.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

1.      The Council's Members' Allowances Scheme mustbe reviewed on a periodic basis, as required by the LocalGovernment Act 2000 and The Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003.

2.      The Council has a legal duty to have regard to the IR Panel’s recommendations.