Issue - meetings

Report CSD19012

The regulations governing Members’ Allowances required that, before the beginning of each financial year, the Council should make a scheme of allowances for that year, and the report detailed the proposed allowances for 2019/20. The allowances had remained frozen since 2009 due to the economic circumstances and the pressure on the Council’s budgets, and most Members considered that it was now reasonable to allow an increase. The Chairman noted in particular that the allowances for the Leader and Portfolio Holders were considerably below the levels recommended by the 2018 London Councils Independent Panel recommendation.

The Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Allowances were not part of the scheme, but were usually considered in conjunction with it. A Member commented that he believed that there was greater scope for Mayor to reclaim tax on their expenses as Mayor. 

RESOLVED that Council be recommended to approve the Members Allowances Scheme 2019/20 and the Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral allowances, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, with an increase in all allowances in line with the proposed increase in officer salaries of 2.25%.

(Note: At the Council meeting on 25^th February 2019, the Members Allowances Scheme was approved as recommended but with an amendment that an allowance of £52 per meeting should be made to members of Plans Sub-Committees in place of the fixed annual allowance. There was also an error in the report - the proposed allowance for Chairmen of Plans Sub-Committees should have read £2,832. The Labour Group stated that they would give their increases to charity.)