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Rutland County Council members approve rise in allowances after the May elections saying people could be put off standing




Council members have voted for a rise in their allowances, after saying people could be put off standing for election.

The report of the independent Welland Partnership Remuneration Panel was presented for consideration to the full council at a Rutland County Council meeting on Monday (January 23). The report found that members are entitled to a rise in their allowances for the financial year 2023/24.

It stated that the panel: “…recognises there is a gap between the council’s member allowances and those at comparator authorities… and that following elections to the authority, the council should consider how to close that gap”.

The Rutland County Council meeting on Monday, January 23
The Rutland County Council meeting on Monday, January 23

Coun Lucy Stephenson (Con), leader of the council presented the report, saying: “MPs do not have to vote on their scheme of allowances… I therefore feel somewhat sorry for us as we have the unenviable task of determining the level of remuneration we should receive, vulnerable to public comment about our value – which we would be impressibly thick-skinned to ignore.

“It is clear from the report that the gap in allowances between Rutland and other authorities is vast, and this gap has arisen from an understandable and well-intentioned desire of members to demonstrate solidarity with our residents in times of financial hardship. It is the view of the Welland Partnership Remuneration Panel, and indeed mine, that while allowances should be neither deterrent nor incentive to people standing for office, they are now indeed a deterrent.

“When a person considers whether to stand for election, fiscal affordability should not be a consideration – our allowance scheme must support equality of opportunity. If we continue on the current trajectory, serving on this council… will only be doable for those with independent financial means, whether a pension or personal wealth; and this, in my opinion, is wrong. The recommendations of the panel are that we therefore approve the increase to ensure that the gap gets no bigger, but not until after the May elections.”

There is a statutory requirement to establish and maintain an Independent Remuneration Panel, which has the function of providing the local authority with advice on its scheme and the amounts to be paid at least once every four years, and Rutland County Council engaged the Welland Partnership Members’ Remuneration Panel, who are an independent body.

The council had previously decided in March 2022 not to implement an index-linked member allowance scheme for 2022/23. However, the proposed annual membership allowances for 2023/24 are: £4,944 (basic); £17,304 (leader/mayor); £14,832 (deputy leader/deputy mayor); £12,360 (cabinet members); £9,888 (planning chairperson); £7,416 (scrutiny chairperson); £6,180 (audit chairperson); and £1,000 (opposition leader). Councillors may also claim reimbursement of actual, reasonable costs incurred in using childminders, babysitters or other sitters for dependants while carrying out approved duties up to a maximum of £2,000 per annum. However, a councillor may choose to forego all or part of their entitlement to allowances under this scheme.

The proposed member allowances scheme for 2023/23, would take effect from 9 May 2023. Implementation of the recommended scheme in 2023/24 would lead to a small increase to the total possible cost of members allowances from £244,900 to approximately £245,500. By comparison, the recommendations of the panel would result in a total cost of £267,000.

Coun Gale Waller (LibDem) said: “This is a difficult one – it’s always difficult for us. For many years we had the remuneration panel come along and we decided not to accept their recommendations. But, as Cllr Stephenson has pointed out, if our allowances aren’t of a sufficient level it will be a disincentive for some people because if we are going to do this job diligently – as we all know – it’s not just something you can do one evening a week, it doesn’t work that way.

“We must also recognise that there aren’t that many of us in this council, compared to other local authorities, and so many members of the cabinet carry more than one portfolio. There is no way we can ‘win’ this – whatever we decided to do – but at least the advantage of delaying the remunerations until after the election in May is that the council can look at all the options then to decide if they want to close the gap or not; so that is why I shall be supporting the recommendations.”

However, Coun Samantha Harvey (Independent Non-Aligned) said: “It would be remiss of me not to remind members that it was barely seven months ago we chose to reject the index-linked increases to our allowances – and members around this table took to publicly slating fellow councillors in public over their views, and I did find that behaviour rather appalling. Nobody at this council should ever judge people on their financial situation, which is exactly what happened last March; and I found that very discourteous.

“I hope we can move forward from that, and accept that some people have to claim their allowance, which represents a fundamental part of their income. There are some very lucky people at this council who don’t need their allowance, and if they choose not to accept it or donate it to charity if they wish, then that is their right; but we are currently preventing people from standing as councillors, and that is shocking.”

Coun Marc Oxley (Independent) agreed: “We have to do what we can to compensate people with a realistic figure if they’re giving up paid employment in order to carry out their duties as an elected Council member.”

Members of the full council voted by majority (18 = for, 3 = against, 1 = abstain), to approve the new remuneration allowances, which will not take effect until after the May 2023 elections.



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