Agenda item

Report attached.

It was moved by Councillor O’Brien and seconded by Councillor Bernstein that:

 

1.    That Council notes the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel dated November 2021 (Appendix 1)

2.    Following consultation with the Group Leaders, the Mayor and the Standards Committee Council consider the recommendations 1- 24 with a minor amendment to recommendation 13 to reflect the revised GM position

 

1.    Basic allowances for Members to be reset at £10,791. Note that the Basic Allowance continues to be deemed inclusive of all in-Council travel and subsistence costs and telephone allowance and that Schedule 2 of the allowances scheme is amended to reflect this situation.

2.    The Special responsibility allowance for the Leader is set at £32,733

3.    The SRA for the Deputy Leader is set at £19,424.

4.    The Cabinet members SRA is set at £14,568, Deputy Cabinet Members SRA to be reset at £2,185.

5.    SRA for the Chairs of the six main committees to be set at £8,093

Chairs of the main Committees (x6) -Overview & Scrutiny Committee/Children’s & Young People’s Scrutiny Committee/Health Scrutiny Committee/Planning Control Committee/Licensing & Safety Committee/Audit Committee

 

6.    That Members who sit on Licensing Hearings Panels who attend more than 6 meetings in any one year are paid an SRA as follows:

Meetings over 4 hours:                   £106

Meetings up to 4 hours:                  £53

As per current practice this SRA should only be paid to Members who are not otherwise in receipt of an SRA.

7.    The SRA for the Leader of the Main Opposition Group is reset at £10,683.

8.    The SRA for the Deputy Leader of the Main Opposition Group only be payable if the Main Opposition Group holds 20 per cent of seats (11) on Council and is reset at £4,273.

9.    That where there are two or more Other Opposition Groups then the recommended SRA of £5,342 should be divided on a pro rata basis and paid accordingly to Leaders of all Other Opposition Groups.

10.The SRA for the Deputy Leader(s) of Other Opposition Groups is reset at £1,870. This is only paid when an Other Opposition Group attains 10 per cent of seats (five) on Council. Where there are two or more Other Opposition Groups of five or more seats the SRA of £1,870 should be paid to their respective Deputy Group Leaders on a pro rata basis.

 

11.The Leader is paid a separate SRA of £6,000 as a Member/Portfolio Holder on the GMCA under the 2011 Order.

12.The SRA for the two Bury Members appointed to the GMTC is reset at £3,000.

13.The SRA for the two (now only one) Bury Council Members appointed to the GM Waste and Recycling Committee is reset at £1,500.

14.That the council discontinue the SRA for the Council’s appointment to the GM Pension Fund.

15.The 1-SRA only rule is maintained with the exception of the additional SRAs paid under the 2011 GMCA Order.

16.That for Shadow Portfolio Holders and Group Whips  it is not recommended an SRA is paid.

17.That the financial loss allowance is discontinued and the Audit and Standards Hearings Panel Co-optees to be paid a Co-optees’ Allowance that has two elements as follows:

Standard element                            £500 per year

Meetings element

Meetings over four hours               £106 per meeting

Meetings up to four hours              £53 per meeting

18.Note that there is no change to the Mayoral Civic Allowance (£16,472) and Deputy Mayor Civic Allowance (£4,118).

19.That the current allowances paid to the Independent Members who sit on Council Education Appeals Panels are discontinued and reset as follows:

£106   for meetings over 4 hours

£53     for meetings up to 4 hours

Mileage/public transport reimbursement – maintain where applicable

Parking fee reimbursement – maintain where applicable

20.That the carers allowance is maintained but there are two types of care identified to be paid at the following maximum rates:

Child care:                             maximum rate paid at real living wage

(Currently £9.50)

Elderly/disabled care:          maximum rate paid at the hourly rate charged by Bury Council Social Services Department for a Home Help

An annual cap be for these payments to be set at £2,000

21.That the current approved duties and conditions for which the Travel and Subsistence Allowances may be claimed outwith the Council are maintained but that the mileage reflect the full range of HMRC AMAP (Approved Mileage Allowance Payment) rates as follows:

 

Passenger payments – cars and vans

5p per passenger per business mile for carrying fellow Member or Council employee in a car or van

Current mileage rates are clarified to include provision that if a Member is claiming out of Council mileage by driving a hybrid or electric vehicle that the applicable mileage rates continue to be HMRC approved rates.

22.The subsistence rates for attending approved duties outwith the Council area should be based on current Officer rates as follows:

Subsistence - Breakfast	£7.31
Subsistence - Lunch	£9.74
Subsistence - Evening Meal / Networking	£18.28

 

23.That the allowances scheme is amended to include a statement that clarifies the continued right of remuneration for a Member when they are required to take maternity, paternity or adoption leave for up to a period of 12 months, subject to the legal attendance requirements.

24.The revised members allowance scheme is adopted from the date of the Council's Annual Meeting 2022 and that indexation is applied in accordance with the IRP recommendations.

 

3.    Instructs the Monitoring Officer to amend the Councils Members Allowance scheme in accordance with the decision of the Full Council meeting held on 25^th May 2022.

 

 

 

 

It was moved by Councillor Birchmore and seconded by Councillor J Mason as an amendment to:-

 

1.    That Council notes the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel dated November 2021 (Appendix 1)

2.    Following consultation with the Group Leaders, the Mayor and the Standards Committee Council consider the recommendations 1- 24 with a minor amendment to recommendation 13 to reflect the revised GM position

 

DELETE

1.Basic allowances for Members to be reset at £10,791. Note that the Basic Allowance continues to be deemed inclusive of all in-Council travel and subsistence costs and telephone allowance and that Schedule 2 of the allowances scheme is amended to reflect this situation.

2The Special responsibility allowance for the Leader is set at £32,733

3.    The SRA for the Deputy Leader is set at £19,424.

4.    The Cabinet members SRA is set at £14,568, Deputy Cabinet Members SRA to be reset at £2,185.

5.    SRA for the Chairs of the six main committees to be set at £8,093

Chairs of the main Committees (x6) -Overview & Scrutiny Committee/Children’s & Young People’s Scrutiny Committee/Health Scrutiny Committee/Planning Control Committee/Licensing & Safety Committee/Audit Committee

 

6.    That Members who sit on Licensing Hearings Panels who attend more than 6 meetings in any one year are paid an SRA as follows:

Meetings over 4 hours:                   £106

Meetings up to 4 hours:                  £53

As per current practice this SRA should only be paid to Members who are not otherwise in receipt of an SRA.

 

DELETE

 

7.    The SRA for the Leader of the Main Opposition Group is reset at £10,683.

8.    The SRA for the Deputy Leader of the Main Opposition Group only be payable if the Main Opposition Group holds 20 per cent of seats (11) on Council and is reset at £4,273.

9.    That where there are two or more Other Opposition Groups then the recommended SRA of £5,342 should be divided on a pro rata basis and paid accordingly to Leaders of all Other Opposition Groups.

10.The SRA for the Deputy Leader(s) of Other Opposition Groups is reset at £1,870. This is only paid when an Other Opposition Group attains 10 per cent of seats (five) on Council. Where there are two or more Other Opposition Groups of five or more seats the SRA of £1,870 should be paid to their respective Deputy Group Leaders on a pro rata basis.

 

11.The Leader is paid a separate SRA of £6,000 as a Member/Portfolio Holder on the GMCA under the 2011 Order.

12.The SRA for the two Bury Members appointed to the GMTC is reset at £3,000.

13.The SRA for the two (now only one) Bury Council Members appointed to the GM Waste and Recycling Committee is reset at £1,500.

14.That the council discontinue the SRA for the Council’s appointment to the GM Pension Fund.

15.The 1-SRA only rule is maintained with the exception of the additional SRAs paid under the 2011 GMCA Order.

16.That for Shadow Portfolio Holders and Group Whips  it is not recommended an SRA is paid.

17.That the financial loss allowance is discontinued and the Audit and Standards Hearings Panel Co-optees to be paid a Co-optees’ Allowance that has two elements as follows:

Standard element                            £500 per year

Meetings element

Meetings over four hours               £106 per meeting

Meetings up to four hours              £53 per meeting

18.Note that there is no change to the Mayoral Civic Allowance (£16,472) and Deputy Mayor Civic Allowance (£4,118).

19.That the current allowances paid to the Independent Members who sit on Council Education Appeals Panels are discontinued and reset as follows:

£106   for meetings over 4 hours

£53     for meetings up to 4 hours

Mileage/public transport reimbursement – maintain where applicable

Parking fee reimbursement – maintain where applicable

20.That the carers allowance is maintained but there are two types of care identified to be paid at the following maximum rates:

Child care:                             maximum rate paid at real living wage

(Currently £9.50)

Elderly/disabled care:          maximum rate paid at the hourly rate charged by Bury Council Social Services Department for a Home Help

An annual cap be for these payments to be set at £2,000

21.That the current approved duties and conditions for which the Travel and Subsistence Allowances may be claimed outwith the Council are maintained but that the mileage reflect the full range of HMRC AMAP (Approved Mileage Allowance Payment) rates as follows:

 

Passenger payments – cars and vans

5p per passenger per business mile for carrying fellow Member or Council employee in a car or van

Current mileage rates are clarified to include provision that if a Member is claiming out of Council mileage by driving a hybrid or electric vehicle that the applicable mileage rates continue to be HMRC approved rates.

22.The subsistence rates for attending approved duties outwith the Council area should be based on current Officer rates as follows:

Subsistence - Breakfast	£7.31
Subsistence - Lunch	£9.74
Subsistence - Evening Meal / Networking	£18.28

 

23.That the allowances scheme is amended to include a statement that clarifies the continued right of remuneration for a Member when they are required to take maternity, paternity or adoption leave for up to a period of 12 months, subject to the legal attendance requirements.

24.The revised members allowance scheme is adopted from the date of the Council's Annual Meeting 2022 and that indexation is applied in accordance with the IRP recommendations.

 

3.    Instructs the Monitoring Officer to amend the Councils Members Allowance scheme in accordance with the decision of the Full Council meeting held on 25^th May 2022.

 

Following a request for a recorded vote (8 members), on being put with 37 voting for and 10 against and no members abstaining, the Mayor declared the amendment lost.

 

Members voted on the substantive motion.  On being put, with 37 members voting for and 10 voting against and no Members abstaining, the Mayor declared the substantive motion carried.