Issue - meetings

The Legal Services Manager presented the Independent Remuneration Panel’s (IRP’s) report and recommendations for 2018/19.  Members were advised that the Council was required to take account of, though not bound by, the recommendations from the IRP.  The proposals from the IRP had financial implications for the Council; if all of the Panel’s proposals were accepted this would lead to an increase of £68,500 on the total projected expenditure for Members’ allowances.

Members noted that the Panel comprised skilled members of the public who were completely independent from the Council.  In some years the Leaders of the Council were invited to attend interviews with the Panel; this had not occurred in 2017/18.  Members recognised that the allowances paid to elected Councillors at Redditch Borough Council were much lower than at other Councils in the county.  However, concerns were expressed about the financial implications of approving all of the recommendations that had been made by the IRP.  The Council had previously written to the Government enquiring about the possibility of allowances for Councillors being set at the national level.  However, Members had been advised that this needed to be a local decision.

RECOMMENDED that

having regard to the report and recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP):

1)        the Basic Allowance for 2018/19 not be increased and this continue at the current level set for 2017/18, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the IRP’s report;

2)        the Special Responsibility Allowances remain at the current levels set for 2017/18, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the IRP’s report;

3)        travel allowances for 2018-19 continue to be paid in accordance with the HMRC mileage allowance;

4)        subsistence allowances for 2018-19 remain unchanged;

5)        the Dependent Carer’s Allowance remains unchanged; and

6)        the Parish Council in the Borough, if travel and subsistence is paid, is paid in accordance with the rates paid by Redditch Borough Council and in accordance with the relevant Regulations.