Agenda item

The Service Director of Governance and Legal Services & Monitoring Officer presented a report of the Independent Remuneration Panel.  The report sought to establish an Independent Remuneration Panel, which would be asked to consider and make recommendations on the following:

·       Whether the Junior Executive Members role should receive a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) and if so, the amount of the allowance.

·       Whether a board member of Dragonfly Development Limited and Dragonfly Management (Bolsover) Limited should receive a Special Responsibility Allowance.

·       A review of the Members Allowances Scheme as a whole.

The proposed membership of the Independent Remuneration Panel was Graham Hudson, Amanda Orchard and David Richardson.

The report also set out a proposal to pay an allowance to the members of the Independent Remuneration Panel.  The Regulations allowed for the Council to pay the Panel an allowance as it saw fit.  In light of the work that a panel member would be expected to undertake it was considered reasonable to agree an allowance of £100 per meeting.  This was in line with what other Councils paid.

The Independent Remuneration Panel had met in July 2023 to consider a recommendation regarding the role of Junior Executive Member.  The Panel had recommended that the Junior Executive Member role should receive a Special Responsibility Allowance, and that allowance should be £2,445.36 per year (being 50% of an Executive Member Special Responsibility Allowance).  A copy of the Panel’s full report was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

The recommended actions as set out in the report were moved as a Motion by Councillor Mary Dooley and seconded by Councillor Sandra Peake.

Councillor Will Fletcher stated that Bolsover District Council paid the highest basic allowance of any non-metropolitan district council in England.  He stated that he had called for a 33% reduction in the basic allowance during the recent council elections and when talking to residents there had been strong support for reducing the basic allowance, so it was more in line with that paid by similar councils.  On top of the generous basic allowance many members already received a SRA.  The IRP report commented on the number of members who already received a SRA and the guidance regarding paying SRAs to a majority of Members.  Councillor Fletcher noted that agreeing to pay a SRA to the Junior Executive Members would take the number of Councillors paid a SRA to almost 70%.  He stated that the country was in the midst of a cost of living crisis and there remained uncertainties around the Council’s income.  Councillor Fletcher concluded that it was clear to him that the Council’s allowances were more than generous enough, and it should not be necessary for a Junior Executive Member to receive a SRA as well, and he then moved an amendment.

The following amendment was moved by Councillor Will Fletcher and seconded by Councillor Carol Wood.

‘recommendation 3 - delete all after “to consider the attached report of the Independent Remuneration Panel” and insert the following “and decide that the role of Junior Executive Member should not receive a Special Responsibility Allowance and that this should be reconsidered when the Independent Remuneration Panel reports on the Members Allowance Scheme in full.”

Councillor Steve Fritchley stated that he could have appointed an additional three Members of the Executive, but he thought it important that new members had the opportunity to take part and gain experience, so he had introduced this new role.  He stated that he believed this new role was important for continuity and it cost less money than having a larger Executive. 

Councillor Deborah Watson stated that becoming a Councillor should not only be the domain of those who could afford it and it was a role that took a lot of time.  She also stated that in Scotland all members across the country were paid the same amount.

Councillor Sandra Peake stated that Councillors did not have to accept their allowance(s).

Councillor Carol Wood stated that she supported development opportunities in all areas, however she was still puzzled why the new role of Junior Executive Member should attract a SRA.  She stated that some Councillors may receive paid leave for meetings, but others accepted the loss of earnings when they chose to stand as Councillors.  The IRP was concerned about the number of SRAs paid at the moment and therefore it would be the sensible thing to approve the Junior Executive Member post with zero allowance, pending the full review.  Councillor Wood also noted that the Council had not had a review of allowances for some years and now a Panel had been set up they had first reported on these new posts before conducting a full review.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was defeated.

On being put to the vote, the original Motion was carried.

RESOLVED that (1) the appointment of the Independent Remuneration Panel to undertake a review of the Council’s Members’ Allowance Scheme, be agreed.

(2)  The scope of the Independent Remuneration Panel as set out in the report, be agreed.

(3)  The role of Junior Executive Member to receive a Special Responsibility Allowance of £2445.36.

(4)  The payment to Members of the Independent Remuneration Panel, as set out in the report, be agreed.

(Service Director of Governance and Legal Services & Monitoring Officer)