Agenda item

Report of the Governance Committee attached (subject to approval By Governance Committee).

Note: The deadline for receipt of amendments is midnight, Monday 20 October.

Amendment to report by Residents’ Group NOT CARRIED by 34 votes to 12; Amendment to report by Independent Residents’ Group NOT CARRIED by 42 votes to 4; Administration motion CARRIED as substantive motion without division.

A report of the Governance Committee asked Council to agree a revised scheme of Members’ Allowances to take account of the new arrangements agreed for the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny function and the establishment of a new political group.

Following debate, an amendment by the Residents Group as follows:

This Council welcomes the proposals made by the administration to reduce Councillors Special Responsibility Allowances. However, this council recommends that they are further reduced to the levels set out in table A (below) to ensure that they are more in line with what members of staff and residents of this borough would expect and to a level commensurate with the workload and responsibilities of the post.

Table A:

Basic Allowance - £10,208

Leader of the Council - £40,000

Deputy Leader of the Council - £23,000

Cabinet Members - £20,000

Leader of the Principal Opposition - £12,000

Deputy Leader of the Principal Opposition - £3,000

Leader of the Minority Opposition Groups - £3,000

Mayor - £12,000

Deputy Mayor - £4,000

Overview and Scrutiny Board Chairman - £10,000

Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee Chairmen - £7,650

Chairman of Regulatory Services - £14,418

Chairman of Licensing Committee - £7,650

Audit, Pensions, Highways and Governance Committee Chairman - £7,650

Reg Services and Licensing Vice Chairman – Fixed sum per meeting as agreed at Governance

Rainham & South Hornchurch Working Party Chairman - £7,650

Adjudication & Review Committee Chairman - £2,000

was LOST by 34 votes to 12 (see division 7).

Following debate, an amendment by the Independent Residents’ Group as follows:

The proposed revisions to the Special Responsibility and Allowances Scheme to reduce the overall cost of the scheme is not equitable because they involve a range of reductions between 12% and 50% in which the more you get the less you lose and should be rejected.

Instead a revised scheme is required that increases the basic allowance by 1%, reduces all SRAs above £7650 by 25%  and keeps all the remaining SRAs as proposed in the Governance report, the same.

This amendment would reduce the overall cost of allowances by 10% and for those with an interest will allow for the creation of new Cabinet positions and still retain an overall saving within budget of between 3 and 5%. Whereas the Administration proposal of a 5% overall reduction would not last the creation of 2 or 3 new Cabinet positions!

was LOST by 42 votes to 4 (see division 8).

            The motion by the Administration that the recommendations of the Governance Committee be approved was AGREED without division and it was RESOLVED that:

The revised list of Special responsibility Allowances be adopted as shown below:

Members’ allowances

*- The standard rate of allowance per licensing sub-committee meeting chaired.