Agenda item

To determine the Scheme of Allowances to take effect on 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2023 having regard to the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel.    

55.1           The report of the Head of Democratic Services, circulated at Pages No. 12-25, asked Members to determine a Scheme of Allowances to take effect on 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2023 having regard to the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel as set out in its report at Appendix 1. 

55.2           The Mayor invited the Chair of the Panel to address the Council. The Chair thanked the Council for inviting the Panel to introduce its report. He explained that, over the years, the Panel (with one new member having joined in the 2019) had met with a large number of Councillors and in October 2021 had interviewed a further four Members to help inform the current recommendations. He felt this was an extremely important way for the Panel to understand the role of Councillors and put on record the hard work undertaken. The Panel’s job was to undertake a thorough review looking at data nationally to see how allowances compared as well as taking into account local factors. Having carried out this exercise, on this occasion the Panel was unable to recommend an increase in the Basic Allowance. It had also examined the level of Special Responsibility Allowances and, again, there was no data to suggest any increases were required; however, the Dependent Carers Allowance had not been reviewed for a number of years and it was recommended that the hourly rate be increased by £2.00 to £9.50 per hour.

55.3           The Leader of the Council thanked the Panel for its hard work and proposed the recommendations as set out in the Panel’s report at Appendix 1 to the report. The recommendation was seconded.  

55.4           During the discussion which ensued, a Member expressed the view that the allowances were low in terms of the time put into the role of Councillor. He questioned whether rising inflation had been taken into account and whether there were any budgetary issues which had influenced the Panel when making its recommendation. In response, the Panel Chair reassured the Council that the Panel was truly independent and, as such, it did not have regard to the Council’s budget when making its recommendations. The Panel found itself constrained when it looked at Basic Allowances across the country as, nationally, Tewkesbury Borough Council’s remained among the highest making it difficult for the Panel to recommend an increase. The Member indicated that inflation was already at 3-4% so, in real terms, allowances were already being eroded and there was a risk they would get to a point where people would be put off from standing for election. In response, the Panel Chair advised that inflation was increasing for everyone and the Panel had felt it would be hard to justify increases to the electorate who were also worried about rising costs in their everyday lives. Another Member indicated that she had undertaken a little research from financial institutions in terms of inflation and found that the Basic Allowance in 2011 of £7,200 was now the equivalent of £5,722 when inflation was taken into account; she was concerned about this given the hard work that Councillors put in. She advised that she was also a resident in the Borough and felt Members should be appropriately paid for what they did. She indicated that she would reluctantly agree to the recommendation from the Panel but she felt it was time to have an in-depth review of allowances going forward. The Chair of the Panel confirmed that he had noted the points made. He also indicated that, when the Panel had recommended the previous increase in allowances, there had been many Members who had felt it was not appropriate to approve so it was a difficult balance. It was suggested by Members that there were areas which the Panel could look at within its next review, including the possibility of different Lead Member Portfolios attracting different payments depending on their workload – although it was understood this may be difficult to determine; whether the allowance for Committee Chairs should be different depending on the amount of meetings and work involved; there were some Committees that met every month and some that only met twice a year but currently the allowance was the same for all and the possibility of introducing attendance allowances.

55.5           A Member thanked the Panel for its recommendation to increase the Dependent Carers Allowance and felt it would really help those with families or carer responsibilities who wished to consider standing for election. Accordingly, it was

                  RESOLVED          1.   That the Basic Allowance and Special Responsibility                                          Allowance remain unchanged for 2022/23.

2.   That the Dependent Carers Allowance be increased from £7.50 to £9.50 per hour.

3.   That all other parts of the Member Allowance Scheme, as set out at Annex A to the report, remain unchanged.

4.   That the Scheme run for a period of one year commencing on 1 April 2022.