Issue - meetings

Mid-Term Review of Members' Allowances Scheme

Purpose:

To present to Council the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel which has undertaken a mid-term review of the Council’s members’ allowances scheme.

Recommendation(s):

That Council considers the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel, which are that:

1. The special responsibility allowance (SRA) for Leader is increased from 3.0x the basic allowance to 3.5x the basic allowance.

2. The SRA for Deputy Leader is increased from 2.0x basic to 2.5x basic.

3. The SRA for Cabinet Member is increased from 1.5x basic to 2.0x basic.

4. The SRA for Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee is increased from 1.0x basic to 1.5x basic.

5. The SRA for Chair of Audit and Governance Committee is increased from 0.5x basic to 1.0x basic.

6. Any agreed increases to SRAs are backdated to 1 April 2025 (being the mid-point of the 4-year Scheme).

7. The existing allowance for Co-opted Members of £1,000 per annum is included in the Scheme.

8. That additional clarification is provided on expenses claims in the Scheme, specifically that:

a. The list of approved duties for which expenses can be claimed is included in the Scheme.

b. VAT receipts are requested for mileage claims.

c. Mileage claims should normally be calculated from the Councillor’s home address.

d. Claims should be made within 3 months of the expenditure being incurred.

e. Mileage rates are aligned with HMRC rates to prevent the creation of taxable benefits.

9. Officers engage with town and parish councils in the New Year on the option of establishing a tiered allowances scheme to guide town and parish councils in the payment of allowances to elected town and parish councillors, to enable the Independent Remuneration Panel (as the Parish Remuneration Panel) to assess whether such guidance would be useful.

10.Note that the Parish Remuneration Panel has recommended to Cirencester Town Council that Cirencester Town Councillors (including the Chair) receive an allowance set at 20% of the basic allowance paid to Cotswold District Councillors.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to present to Council the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel which had undertaken a mid-term review of the Council’s members’ allowances scheme.

Nick Craxton, Chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel, introduced the report and stated that the Panel comprised a broad and well-balanced range of experience across the private and public sectors, subject matter experts, reward and HR specialists, and individuals familiar with the Council’s operations. He emphasised that the Panel’s recommendations had followed extensive discussion, with several matters revisited in light of further evidence.

The Panel Chair highlighted the challenges the Panel had faced in proposing councillor and leadership remuneration, noting that the requirement to reflect a “public service” element — implying lower pay — might be seen as conflicting with the Council’s aim to make these roles accessible to a wider range of people.

It was noted that the panel had considered written representations from the former Leader and heard evidence from the current Leader. Although the current Leader wished to undertake the role full-time, Mr Craxton advised that the Panel could not give this weight, as full-time arrangements were neither legislated nor prescribed. He added that making the role full-time would require substantially higher pay, noting that a locally advertised trade counter supervisor post offered a higher salary than the Council Leader both before and after the proposed increase.

The Panel Chair concluded by noting that consideration of economic context and affordability lay outside the Panel’s remit and was a matter for the Council. He indicated that he was happy to answer questions.

The Chair indicated that Councillor Evemy would be invited to propose the recommendations and that there would be the opportunity to ask any questions for clarity. The Chair advised that the report should be taken at face value and that it was not necessary to examine the Panel’s detailed methodology.

Councillor Evemy thanked Mr Craxton for attending and acknowledged the significant work undertaken by the Panel over several meetings. He noted that he had attended one meeting and valued the opportunity to contribute.

Councillors were reminded that this was a mid-term review. It was noted that no changes had been made to Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) during the previous review, as it had been unclear whether increased workloads were temporary or would persist. It was further noted that the Panel had drawn on the councillor workload survey and on representations from the former Leader, himself, and other councillors.

Councillor Evemy acknowledged the difficulty for councillors in determining their own allowances, which underlined the value of the Independent Remuneration Panel. It was reported that the Panel had recommended increased SRAs for Cabinet roles and for the Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Audit and Governance Committee. These recommendations were in recognition of the workload associated with these roles.

Councillors were also asked to note recommendations to update provisions on co-opted member allowances, clarify approved duties, and provide a framework for town and parish council allowances, ... view the full minutes text for item 54

Issue - meetings

Mid-Term Review of Members' Allowances Scheme

Meeting: 26/11/2025 - Council (Item 54)

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