The Head of Law and Governance has submitted a report presenting the recommendations of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP).

Council is recommended to:

1.         agree that Members’ Basic Allowances (and therefore Members’ Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs)) from 2015/16 onwards are set at a level which compounds the 1% interest that has been available for the last two financial years, but with no backdating, making the Basic Allowance from April 2015 onwards £4,809;

2.         agree that the new Members’ Allowances Scheme should allow for indexation of Councillors’ Allowances in line with the local staff pay deal for the following four years;

3.         agree that the Basic Allowance will now cover subsistence, some travel, broadband and incidental costs which are currently claimed separately and that Councillors will no longer be able to claim for those other costs other than travel outside the City within a scheme of duties as set out in paragraphs 32-35 of the IRP’s report;

4.         agree that the ‘maximum of two special responsibility allowances per councillor’ rule be retained, but that SRAs for Civic Office Holders will not be included in this rule;

5.         to agree to adjust the positions that attract a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) to reflect contemporary demands and to include the Civic Office Holders in line with the recommendations at paragraphs 28 (i) – (x)

6.         to agree the following levels of SRA:-

Leader - 3 x Basic Allowance                                               (£14,427)

Deputy Leader – 1 x Basic Allowance                                (£4,809)

Lord Mayor –1 x Basic Allowance                                       (£4,809)

Deputy Lord Mayor – 0.25 x Basic Allowance                   (£1,202)

Sheriff - 0.25 x Basic Allowance                                         (£1,202)

Board Members with Particular Responsibilities – 1.5 x Basic Allowance

(£7,213)

Board Members without particular Responsibilities – 0.5 x Basic Allowance                                                                            (£2,404)

Chair of Audit & Governance Committee – 0.25 x Basic Allowance

(£1,202)

Chair of Planning Committee – 1 x Basic Allowance      (£4,809)

Chair of Scrutiny Committee – 1 x Basic Allowance       (£4,809)

Chair of Scrutiny Panel – 0.25 x Basic Allowance          (£1,202)

(Panel must meet at least 5 times to qualify. A maximum of 2 SRAs will be available (£2,404) to be shared by the Chairs of the qualifying Standing Panels)

Opposition Group Leader – 1 x Basic Allowance                         (£4,809)

to be shared between the Group Leaders equally.

7.         agree that the carer’s allowances for children and adults be on the basis of full cost recovery subject to a maximum of £1000 per councillor per year in line with paragraphs 37 – 39 of the IRP’s report;

8.         that a mechanism be put in place for dealing with special circumstances in relation to Dependent Carers’ Allowances, perhaps the Committee and Members’ Services Manager and one other officer;

9.         agree that there will be no allowances paid to co-optees other than incidental expenses;

10.      agree that where a member of Council is also a member of another Council, that member may not receive allowances from more than one Council in respect of the same duties;

11.      agree that where allowances have been paid in advance for a period during which a Councillor is suspended from office or is no longer a Councillor, those allowances will be repaid;

12.      agree to remove any reference in the Members’ Allowances Scheme to the right for councillors to join the Local Government Pension Scheme;

13.      agree that claims must be made on the forms provided and should be accompanied by receipts/invoices;

14.      agree that claims will be paid in line with the payment schedule set by the Council’s payroll team;

15.      agree that a Councillor may elect to forego any part of their entitlement to an allowance under the scheme by providing written notice to the Monitoring Officer;

16.      agree that there will be a 15% reduction from future allowances for Councillors who attend less than 2/3rds of the scheduled meetings required within a Special Responsibility;

17.      give effect to the recommendations of the IRP in paragraphs 43 and 44 of the IRP Report that there should be a 15% reduction from the payment of future Basic Allowance for non-attendance at Council or the required training by a collective resolution and consequential adjustments to protocols within the constitution;

18.      authorise the Head of Law and Governance to draft the new Members’ Allowances scheme and to incorporate it into the Council’s Constitution before 1 April 2015; and

19.      thank the Independent Remuneration Panel for its work.

Councillor Humberstone joined the meeting.

Council had before it a report presenting the recommendations of the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) and the full report of the IRP.

Councillor Price moved the recommendations as set out in the report with an amendment to recommendation 7 to provide for carer’s allowances to be reimbursed only when these were paid at or above the Oxford Living Wage. Councillor Fooks seconded this.

Councillor Hollick moved an amendment to recommendation 6 (special responsibility allowances) to give:

-       Leader’s SRA 2.5 x basic allowance

-       Deputy Leader’s SRA 0.5 x basic allowance.

This was seconded but lost on being put to the vote.

After debate and on being put to the vote, the recommendations in the report with the amendment proposed by Councillor Price were carried unanimously.

Council agreed the recommendations as set out in the officer’s report with an amendment to recommendation 7:

1.         Members’ Basic Allowances (and therefore Members’ Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs)) from 2015/16 onwards are set at a level which compounds the 1% interest that has been available for the last two financial years, but with no backdating, making the Basic Allowance from April 2015 onwards £4,809;

2.         the new Members’ Allowances Scheme should allow for indexation of Councillors’ Allowances in line with the local staff pay deal for the following four years;

3.         the Basic Allowance will now cover subsistence, some travel, broadband and incidental costs which are currently claimed separately and that Councillors will no longer be able to claim for those other costs other than travel outside the City within a scheme of duties as set out in paragraphs 32-35 of the IRP’s report;

4.         the ‘maximum of two special responsibility allowances per councillor’ rule be retained, but that SRAs for Civic Office Holders will not be included in this rule;

5.         to adjust the positions that attract a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) to reflect contemporary demands and to include the Civic Office Holders in line with the recommendations at paragraphs 28 (i) – (x)

6.         set levels of SRA :-

7.         the carer’s allowances for children and adults be on the basis of full cost recovery subject to a maximum of £1000 per councillor per year in line with paragraphs 37 – 39 of the IRP’s report. Carer’s allowances will not be reimbursed if carers had been paid below the Oxford Living Wage.

8.         that a mechanism be put in place for dealing with special circumstances in relation to Dependent Carers’ Allowances, namely that it be delegated to the Head of Law and Governance and the Committee and Members’ Services Manager;

9.         there will be no allowances paid to co-optees other than incidental expenses;

10.      where a member of Council is also a member of another Council, that member may not receive allowances from more than one Council in respect of the same duties;

11.      where allowances have been paid in advance for a period during which a Councillor is suspended from office or is no longer a Councillor, those allowances will be repaid;

12.      remove any reference in the Members’ Allowances Scheme to the right for councillors to join the Local Government Pension Scheme;

13.      claims must be made on the forms provided and should be accompanied by receipts/invoices;

14.      claims will be paid in line with the payment schedule set by the Council’s payroll team;

15.      a Councillor may elect to forego any part of their entitlement to an allowance under the scheme by providing written notice to the Monitoring Officer;

16.      there will be a 15% reduction from future allowances for Councillors who attend less than 2/3rds of the scheduled meetings required within a Special Responsibility;

17.      give effect to the recommendations of the IRP in paragraphs 43 and 44 of the IRP Report that there should be a 15% reduction from the payment of future Basic Allowance for non-attendance at Council or the required training by a collective resolution and consequential adjustments to protocols within the constitution;

18.      authorise the Head of Law and Governance to draft the new Members’ Allowances scheme and to incorporate it into the Council’s Constitution before 1 April 2015; and

19.      thank the Independent Remuneration Panel for its work.