Issue - meetings

Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) Annual Report for 2020/21

Meeting: 14/10/2020 - Constitution and Democratic Services Committee (Item 5)

5 Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) Annual Report for 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 87 KB

To enable the Council to receive the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) Annual Report for 2021/22, which determines payments to elected and co-opted members for the next year.

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)       That the Committee notes Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales  Annual Report for 202/21; and

 

(b)       That the  Head of Democratic Services  be authorised to make a response on behalf of the Council which includes a request that Town & Community Councils be required to publish details of their own payments to Members.

Minutes:

The Head of Democratic Services introduced a report on the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) Annual Report for 2021/22, which determined the rates of payment to be made to elected and co-opted members of Welsh Local Authorities for the next year.  He said the IRPW had sent the draft Annual Report to County Councils on 28 September, requesting comments to be made by 23 November 2020.  The IRPW was required to take into account the representations it received on the draft before issuing its final version of the report in February 2021. 

 

In presenting the report, the Head of Democratic Services advised that for 2021/22 the IRPW had made 48  Determinations, 24 of which were directly relevant to Flintshire County Council.  The Panel’s determinations for 2021/22 were listed in Appendix 1 of the report.  He reported that the IRPW  had proposed that the basic salary in 2021/22 for elected members of principal councils shall be £14,368 with effect from 1 April 2021.  This was an increase of £150 on the 2020/21 level.  An increase of 1.06% was also proposed for senior and civic salaries.  The Panel also proposed an increase of £12 to £210 for the daily rate for ordinary co-opted members of Committees.   The Head of Democratic Services referred to the main determinations in the report.

 

In response to a question from Councillor Ted Palmer the Head of Democratic Services  advised that it was a matter for individuals to determine whether they accepted or declined all or part of the payment to which they were entitled. 

 

Councillor Chris Bithell referred to Section 15, paragraph 15.3 in the IRPW report.  The Chief Officer responded to the question around salaries of Heads of Paid Services and Chief Officers of principal councils and drew attention to the information provided in paragraph 15.1.  

 

Councillor Bithell raised a further question concerning the recording of Members’ attendance at meetings.  He commented that whilst attendance at most meetings of the Council were recorded there were a significant number of additional meetings attended by Members as part of their duties which were not, citing meetings of sub-committees, Panels, external organisations, and bodies as examples.  He emphasised the importance of raising public awareness and reassurance that Members were fulfilling their duties.  The Head of Democratic Services  explained that the Authority recorded the membership and attendance  of elected Members of specific committees within the Authority and also recorded attendance at other meetings and this information was available on the Authority’s website.  He said Members could record reference to all the meetings they attended in their Annual Reports.  The Chief Officer advised that there was a statutory list of the meetings at which the Authority was required to record Members’ attendance and confirmed that the Authority also recorded Members’ membership of external bodies.  The Head of Democratic Services  suggested that regular reports be submitted to the Committee on the development and briefing events held by the Authority and the names of the Members present.

Councillor Chris Bithell referred to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5