Agenda item

a)         That the Council’s response to consultation on the draft annual report for 2014/15 be as follows:

1. The Council expresses concern about the two proposed changes to introduce more local choice in relation to the payments to be made to Committee Chairs, Civic Heads and Deputy Civic Heads (determinations 3 and 6 in the draft annual report).  One of the most important features of the Councillors’ allowance in Wales is that it is independent of those who receive those allowances.  Greater local choice on the level of allowances could therefore give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest and should be rejected.
2. In relation to the first and second determinations in the draft report relating to increases in basic allowances/salary and the payments to the Leader, Deputy Leader and other Cabinet members, the Council believes it would be inequitable for Members to receive a greater increase in their pay than the majority of Council staff and would only favour these increases if those staff on NJC terms and conditions were receiving at least a 1% increase in their pay.
3. The Council agrees with the proposal of removing the maximum reimbursement for an overnight stay in Cardiff so that for all overnight stays outside of London the maximum reimbursement would be £95.
4. The draft annual report does not propose any increase in the number of Councillors who can be paid for having special responsibilities and therefore does not address the discrepancy between those Councils who have a larger number of Councillors (such as Flintshire) and those that do not (such as Isle of Anglesey).  Only 25.7% of Flintshire’s membership can receive payments for their special responsibilities whereas in Anglesey it is 50% and there is no good reason for this discrepancy.

(b)       That the Democracy and Governance Manager be the appropriate officer for the purposes of the determinations in paragraph 4(i) and (iii) of  Appendix 1

The Democracy and Governance Manager introduced the report which outlined a draft response to consultation by the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IPRW) on its draft annual report for 2014/15.

            A report on the consultation document was submitted to the Constitution Committee on 16 October 2013 and their views were reflected in the report before Members. 

            On 1 November 2013 the IRPW issued a supplemental report in respect of payments to co-opted members, details of which were included in Appendix 1 to the report.  The determinations in that supplement report were to take effect on 1 January 2014.

It was agreed at the meeting of Constitution Committee that the Democracy and Governance Manager would prepare a draft response to the consultation document which was attached as Appendix 2 to the report.

Details of the proposed changes of the IRPW were outlined by the Democracy and Governance Manager as:

·        An increase of basic allowance for Members in 2014/15 from £13,175 to £13,300 p.a.

·        An increase in payment to the Leader by £500 p.a.

·        An increase in payment to the Deputy Leader by £40 p.a.

·        An increase in payment to Cabinet Members by £220 p.a.

·        Local choice to be given to each County Council to choose which of three salary bands to pay each individual Committee Chair.  It was proposed it would be either £8,700, £6,700 of £4,700 p.a.  At present, all Committee Chairs received the same extra payment of £8,735 for their added responsibility

On paragraph 3.05 of the report which detailed the proposed increase to the amount paid to the Leader of the largest so called opposition group, the Democracy and Governance manager apologised for an error contained in the report which read that that post would receive an increase from £3,745 p.a. to £8,700 p.a.  This was incorrect and the allowance for that post would decrease slightly.  He therefore suggested that paragraph 3 of the proposed response should be excluded. 

            Also proposed by the IRPW was:

·        Local choice in payments to Civic Heads and deputy Civic Heads

·        Removal of the current maximum reimbursement for an overnight stay in Cardiff (£120) – the maximum for all such overnight stays outside of London to be £95

The draft annual report made no proposals to change the limit of 18 on a number of ‘senior salaries’ which Flintshire could pay its members who had special responsibilities.  This represented 25.7% of the Council membership when for other Councils it could be as high as 50%.

On co-opted members, Members were asked to agree that the Democracy and Governance Manager be the appropriate officer for the purposes of the determinations outlined in 4(i) and 4(iii) of Appendix 1.

Councillor Bernie Attridge proposed that the County Council support the recommendation outlined in the report which was seconded by Councillor Robin Guest.

            Councillor Aaron Shotton moved an amendment to the proposed Council’s response for point 1 to read “The Council expresses concern about the two proposed changes to introduce more local choice in relation to the payments to be made to Committee Chairs, Civic Heads and Deputy Civic Heads.  One of the most important features of the Councillors’ allowance system in Wales is that it is independent of those who receive those allowances.  Greater local choice on the level of allowances could therefore give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest and should be rejected”.  He felt it was not appropriate for Council to determine what should be paid to such postholders.  This was seconded by Councillor Alex Aldridge.

Councillor Attridge wished to withdraw his original proposal of the recommendation.  Councillor Guest, who had seconded the proposal, however did not withdraw and it therefore remained. 

A number of Members spoke in support of the amendment proposed by Councillor Shotton.

As Chairman of the Constitution Committee, Councillor Guest explained that the Committee strongly supported the proposal and he felt the IRPW had got the balance right of allowing local choice where it was needed, for example, being aware of the workload of individual Chairs.  He emphasised that the IRPW would make the final decision and what was before Members was a response to consultation.

On being put to the vote, the amendment was CARRIED and became the substantive motion.

Councillor Clive Carver asked if there happened to be two groups with the same number of members would the increase on basic allowance be shared.  The Democracy and Governance Manager said that if that arose he would seek clarification from the IRPW.

On being put to the vote, the substantive motion was CARRIED.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Council’s response to consultation on the draft annual report for 2014/15 be as follows:

1. The Council expresses concern about the two proposed changes to introduce more local choice in relation to the payments to be made to Committee Chairs, Civic Heads and Deputy Civic Heads (determinations 3 and 6 in the draft annual report).  One of the most important features of the Councillors’ allowance in Wales is that it is independent of those who receive those allowances.  Greater local choice on the level of allowances could therefore give rise to the appearance of a conflict of interest and should be rejected.
2. In relation to the first and second determinations in the draft report relating to increases in basic allowances/salary and the payments to the Leader, Deputy Leader and other Cabinet members, the Council believes it would be inequitable for Members to receive a greater increase in their pay than the majority of Council staff and would only favour these increases if those staff on NJC terms and conditions were receiving at least a 1% increase in their pay.
3. The Council agrees with the proposal of removing the maximum reimbursement for an overnight stay in Cardiff so that for all overnight stays outside of London the maximum reimbursement would be £95.
4. The draft annual report does not propose any increase in the number of Councillors who can be paid for having special responsibilities and therefore does not address the discrepancy between those Councils who have a larger number of Councillors (such as Flintshire) and those that do not (such as Isle of Anglesey).  Only 25.7% of Flintshire’s membership can receive payments for their special responsibilities whereas in Anglesey it is 50% and there is no good reason for this discrepancy.

(b)       That the Democracy and Governance Manager be the appropriate officer for the purposes of the determinations in paragraph 4(i) and (iii) of  Appendix 1