Agenda item

Report No: COU/SA/18/004

(Report No: COU/SA/18/004)

The Shadow Council considered the above report, which sought approval for proposals to developing a Members’ remuneration scheme for the new West Suffolk Council.

The West Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018 required the Shadow Council to formulate a Scheme of Members’ Allowances. This Scheme would then be recommended to the new West Suffolk Council to adopt when it would begin to meet after 1 April 2019.

Councillors Ruth Bowman and Carol Bull, FHDC and SEBC Portfolio Holders for Future Governance respectively, drew relevant issues to the attention of the Shadow Council, including that the supporting case for proposing a future council size of 64 Members highlighted the need to continue to build on the existing Families and Communities Strategy, which emphasised the role of councillors as community leaders and enablers. 

The future Scheme of Members’ Allowances for West Suffolk would be set against this backdrop; but would also need to bear in mind the evolving nature of an entirely new Council, whereby committee and leadership roles subject to Special Responsibility Allowances were to be defined, and public expectations on the levels of remuneration that were appropriate for democratically elected individuals.

Before adopting any Scheme of Allowances, the Shadow Council was required to form an Independent Panel, which would prepare recommendations on the level of remuneration, allowances and expenses for Councillors.  A minimum of three persons must sit on the Panel and the remit and requirements of that Panel was summarised in Section 3 of the report, which included appointing a non-voting advisor to the Panel who would act as a conduit between officers, elected Members and the Panel. The process for appointing Panel members was set out in Section 4 of the report, which included the formation of a Selection Panel, which would comprise the existing Forest Heath District and St Edmundsbury Borough Councils’ Portfolio Holders for Future Governance, a Member who was not part of the majority political group; a West Suffolk Director; the interim Monitoring Officer and the Shadow Council’s independent persons (on the condition that they did not wish to be members of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP).)  

Attached to the report were the following appendices:

Appendix A: Proposed Terms of Reference for the IRP

Appendix B: Person Specification for IRP members

Appendix C: Person Specification for the Panel advisor

Councillor Ruth Bowman then explained that Councillor David Nettleton had put himself forward as the non-majority group Member to sit on the Selection Panel for the IRP and that she wished to correct a minor typographical error in Recommendation (2) listed in the report.  The second recommendation would therefore now be amended to read:

‘That the West Suffolk Shadow Council nominates Councillor David Nettleton as a Member who is not part of the majority group, to serve on the Selection Panel for the Independent Remuneration Panel.’

Councillor Ruth Bowman proposed approval of Recommendations (1) and (3) contained in the report, together with the amended Recommendation (2) above.  This proposal was duly seconded by Councillor Carol Bull.

During the debate Councillor David Nettleton proposed an amendment to the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the IRP, which was duly seconded by Councillor Julia Wakelam.  Whilst acknowledging that the IRP was required by legislation to comprise a minimum of three members, he did not agree that the West Suffolk IRP should comprise “up to four members…” as defined in the proposed ToR. Councillor Nettleton reasoned that the Selection Panel should be able to sensibly decide a reasonable number to comprise the IRP, particularly if it was difficult to select a maximum of four suitable candidates from an exceptional pool of applicants.

The relevant sentence in the ToR at Appendix A would therefore be amended to read:

“The panel shall be made up of up to four  a minimum of three members appointed by a selection process to be agreed by the Council.”   

A debate was held on the amendment and upon being put to the vote was carried.  The amendment was therefore incorporated into the substantive motion so that Recommendation (3) read:

‘That the West Suffolk Shadow Council agrees the terms of reference for the Independent Remuneration Panel in Appendix A to Report No: COU/SA/18/004, as amended to incorporate the following revision to the section entitled ‘Membership of the Panel’:

The panel shall be made up of a minimum of threemembers appointed by a selection process to be agreed by the Council.’

The debate continued on the substantive motion.  In response to a question, Shadow Council was informed that the proposed independent advisor to the IRP would receive an allowance of £100 per meeting attended, plus travelling expenses of up to 45p per mile, which was the same as would be received by panel members, as outlined in the proposed Terms of Reference.

The substantive motion was then put to the vote, was duly carried and it was

RESOLVED:

That:

(1)     the process for appointing members of the West Suffolk Independent Remuneration Panel, as set out in paragraph 4.1 of Report No: COU/SA/18/004, be agreed;

(2)     Councillor David Nettleton be nominated as a Member who is not part of the majority group, to serve on the Selection Panel for the Independent Remuneration Panel; and

(3)     the terms of reference for the Independent Remuneration Panel in Appendix A to Report No: COU/SA/18/004, be agreed, as amended to incorporate the following revision to the section entitled ‘Membership of the Panel’:

‘The panel shall be made up of a minimum of threemembers appointed by a selection process to be agreed by the Council.’

(Councillor David Roach joined the meeting at 6.46 pm  during the consideration of this item.)