Issue - meetings
Members Allowances
Meeting: 08/09/2014 - Council (Item 9)
9 Members Allowances PDF 94 KB
This report addresses the requirement for the Council to review allowances to elected Members on a regular basis and to take into account the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel for London (prepared by London Councils), which reported in June 2014.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The report before Members addressed the requirement for the Council to review allowances to elected Members on a regular basis and to take into account the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel for London (prepared by London Councils), which reported in June 2014.
Councillor Pavey introduced the report by stating that the role of a councillor had never been more demanding and that councillors could only properly serve the community if they reflected it. The job had developed into a professional role. The recommendations from the Remuneration Panel for London had suggested much higher rates than were being proposed. He stated that the proposals represented a fair compromise and were cost neutral; they would support new people from a range of backgrounds joining the Council. Councillor Pavey referred to the Conservatives splitting into two Groups and thereby both qualifying for special responsibility allowances which he considered a nonsense. The outcome of the local election had been a vote for a Labour administration with a Conservative opposition and he therefore moved that the Conservative Group be designated the principal opposition group. Councillor Warren opposed this by saying that sadly the Conservative vote in Brent had declined over the last 20 years and accused the Conservative Group of doing nothing to arrest the decline. He read from a letter from the President of the local Conservative party which recognised the Brondesbury Park Conservatives. He stated that his group would continue to provide strong opposition and hold the Labour Group to account. Councillor Colwill responded by recalling how in the past the Conservatives had lost seats in the old Brent East constituency under Councillor Warren when he was previously on the Council while he and his colleagues managed to increase their seats in the north of the borough. Councillor Colwill explained that the reason why the group had split was that the Brondesbury Park members had tried to demand that they should lead the Conservative Group but had been resisted. Councillor Carr recognised the enormous amount of work faced by a councillor and the need to attract new talent. However, all those standing in the recent election had known about this and the present allowances payable and she did not feel able to accept the increases being proposed.
RESOLVED:
(i) that the proposed Members Allowance Scheme attached as appendix 1 to the report submitted be agreed;
(ii) that any additional payments for Members’ allowances and Special Responsibility Allowances arising from the new scheme take effect from 1 June 2014;
(iii) that the Conservative Group be recognised as the principal opposition group for the purposes of the new Members Allowance Scheme.