Issue - meetings

The Chairman welcomed Mr Simon Westwood, Chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel, to introduce the report of the Panel following consideration of it by the Governance, Ethics and Standards Committee.

Thanks were expressed for the hard work of Mr Westwood and the other members of the Independent Renumeration Panel on behalf of Members.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Gillott and duly seconded in the following terms:

To add two further recommendations to the report as follows:

1)    That Council welcomes the decision of the Independent Remuneration Panel to review the Special Responsibility Allowance paid to the positions of Civic Chair and Vice-Chair of the Council during the next 12 months;

2)    That Council notes the decision of the Leader in May 2021 to increase the number of Cabinet and Cabinet Support Members and invites the Independent Remuneration Panel to review the Special Responsibility Allowances for Cabinet and Cabinet Support Members in light of that decision to determine whether the current level of payments are still appropriate or whether they should be reduced.

Following debate, the amendment to the motion was duly voted on and declared to be LOST.

On the original motion of Councillor B Lewis duly seconded it was

RESOLVED to:

1)   Consdier the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel, subsequently supported by the Governance Ethics and Standards Committee, and approve the recommendations contained in the report;

2)   Agree the schedule of members’ allowances for 2022/23 as attached at Appendix 2 to Independent Remuneration Panel’s report;

3)   Note the proposal to recruit to the positions on the Independent Renumeration Panel as the vacancies arise; and

4)   Authorise the Monitoring Officer to make appropriate amendments to the Constitution to reflect any changes to the members’ allowances scheme agreed.