Issue - meetings

(a)       That the draft response to the consultation, as shown in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved; and

(b)       That the Council request a meeting with the IRPW.

The Democracy and Governance Manager introduced a report to enable the Council to determine its response to consultation by the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRPW) on its draft annual report.  Attached at Appendix 1 to the report was a proposed draft response to the consultation which included the following points:-

• concern that despite proposals requiring payment of so called senior salaries to certain posts there was no proposed increase in the number of Members eligible;
• advocating a return to annual payments for co-optees; and
• seeking to retain the discretion to pay less than 45p a mile travel allowance.

Councillor W. Mullin thanked the Democracy and Governance Manager for preparing the draft response on behalf of Members and proposed that the County Council approve the draft response to the consultation and support the need for meeting with the IRPW.  Councillor A.P. Shotton seconded the proposal and explained that a meeting would be requested with the IRPW to explain in more detail specific Flintshire circumstances, such as, the Panel’s previous decision to grant Flintshire County Council approval to pay a special responsibility allowance to the Chair of the Clwyd Pension Fund, yet this had not been taken into account in capping the number of Members that could receive such payments.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the draft response to the consultation, as shown in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved; and

(b)       That the Council request a meeting with the IRPW.