Content

Decision:
To approve the
following recommendation to full Council at its meeting on 3
December 2024:  
 
That the Council adopts the recommendations of
the Joint Independent Remuneration Panel, as set out in the report
submitted to the Executive, subject to the amendment of
recommendations (2), (4) and (16) as follows:
 
(2)    That no councillor shall be
entitled to receive at any time more than one two
Special Responsibility Allowances
(SRAs), and that where a councillor
would otherwise be entitled to two three or
more SRAs, then only the two
higher-valued allowancesshould be
received, and that this ‘Two SRA Only Rule’ be adopted
into the Scheme of Allowances.
 
(4)     That the Leader of
the Council should receive a Tier One Special Responsibility
Allowance of 250%
200% of the Basic Allowance,
£21,448 £17,158 per annum.
 
(16)   
That, subject to a further review
by the Joint Independent Remuneration Panel in 12 months’
time, a new Dependants’ Carers’ Allowance be
included in the scheme of allowances as follows:
           
Level 1 (a) – A
£500 annual allowance for Councillors where there is one or
more children aged 12 or younger that normally reside in their
household and for whom they are caring.  This allowance would
only be payable until the child’s 13th
birthday.  This allowance would be
taxable.
 
Level 1 (b) – A £500
annual allowance for Councillors where there is one or more persons
that normally reside in their household and for whom they are a
registered carer.  This allowance would be
taxable.
 

Level 1 – This will be
paid to those councillors who necessarily incur expense in
arranging for general care of (i) their children, aged 13 or under,
or (ii) one or more persons that normally reside in their household
and for whom they are a registered carer, to enable them to
undertake any approved duty, up to a maximum of £500 per
annum per councillor. The allowance shall be paid as a
re-imbursement of incurred expenditure against
receipts.

Level 2 – This shall be for
specialist care based at cost upon production of receipts and
requiring medical evidence that this type of care is
required.  This allowance would not be taxable and shall apply
for councillors with caring responsibility for persons of any
age.  There shall be no limit to these claims, provided that
they are made in respect of approved duties.
 
Reason(s):
In order to comply with the requirements of The
Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations
2003 (as amended).
Other options considered and rejected by the
Executive:
To accept paragraphs 2, 4 and 16 of the Joint IRP
report as presented.
Details of any conflict of interest declared by
the Leader or lead councillors and any dispensation
granted:
None.