Issue - meetings

The Monitoring Officer presented a report on the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2018/19. 

The report proposed that the majority of Members’ allowances should again remain unchanged – which included the Basic Allowance paid to all 51 councillors and the Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) for the Leader, Deputy Leaders, Cabinet Members and the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of the committees that had been largely unaffected by the governance changes.  There were proposed increases to the SRAs for the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of the new Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the refined Planning Committee, while the new Member Champion roles and the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of the Pensions Committee and the Policy Task Group were included in the allowances schedule for the first time.

Councillor Lynda Rice moved an amendment, seconded by Councillor Sade Bright, that the Dependants’ Carers’ Allowance be increased to £10.20 an hour from £6.82 per hour to bring it in line with the London Living Wage.

The Assembly resolved to:

(i)  Adopt the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2018/19 as attached at Appendix A to the report, to come into effect from 24 May 2018 subject to the Dependants’ Carers’ Allowance being increased to £10.20 an hour; and

(ii)  Note that a review will be carried out during the year to assess the impact of the new governance arrangements, Members’ new responsibilities under those arrangements and the appropriate level of allowances under the Members’ Allowances Scheme.