Purpose

To agree a Members' Allowances
Scheme

Content

 
Noted that all Councils are
required to make an annual scheme for the payment of allowances to
Councillors and the scheme must include a Basic Allowance payable
equally to all Councillors and may include provision for Special
Responsibility Allowances (SRAs).
 
Noted that historically, the
Councillors scheme of allowances has been frozen over several
years, which in turn has meant that the current allowances are
below the recommended levels in the London Councils’
Independent Remuneration Panel Report (Section 5 and Appendix
A).
 
Noted that the Basic Allowance
was increased in 2024/25 in line with the headline figure of the
annual local government pay settlement but there was no increase in
the rate of SRAs.
 
Noted that at the meeting of
Council on 16 March 2022, it was agreed to re-adopt the London
Councils’ Independent Remuneration Panel for the purposes of
advising the Royal Borough of Greenwich in formulating its
Members’ Allowances Scheme for the next four municipal years
(2022/23–2025/26) as each authority must have regard to the
recommendations of such an independent panel.
 
Noted that the Independent
Remuneration Panel recommends that all allowances should be
increased annually in accordance with the headline figure of the
annual local government pay settlement.
 
Noted that the Independent
Remuneration Panel report published in December 2023, recommends
that the rate of Basic Allowance be set at £15,960 following
a more detailed review post its scheduled review in 2022 (the next
review will be published in 2026 in preparation for the London
local elections and the start of new administrations in May
2026).
 
Agreed to increase the rate of the Basic Allowance for 2025/26 in line with
the fixed percentage increase applied to allowances in the Local
Government Pay Settlement
 
Agreed to increase the Special
Responsibility Allowances in line with the fixed percentage
increase applied to allowances in the Local Government Pay
Settlement.
 
Agreed to increase the rate of
Childcare and Dependent Carers’ Allowance to £13.85 to
match the rate of the London Living Wage
 
Agreed to amend the
Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2025/26 as attached at
Appendix B and agree that Part 6 of the Council’s
Constitution be updated accordingly.
 
Noted that, in the decision
taken by Full Council in March 2024, the Special Responsibility
Allowances for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor were removed from the
Members’ Allowances Scheme 2024-25, as per Schedule 2
paragraph 2 (4) and Schedule 2 paragraph 5 (4) of the Local
Government Act 1972.
 
Noted that the Scheme will be
kept under review and updated as necessary.