New expenses report reveals plan for just one cllr allowance
A PANEL that recommends the level of expenses that borough councillors receive has recommended that councillors should receive a 1% increase in its basic members allowance and also receive an extra £100 to allow them to park for free during council meetings.
If approved at a November council meeting, it will see the amount paid to councillors increase by £66 a year from £6,618 to £6,684. The rise will be backdated to April 1.
The increase is recommended in line with the 1% pay rise that council workers received.
A £100 increase in the ‘outof-pocket’ expenses will go towards the cost of parking at Shute End: last year, borough councillors voted to introduce a £1 fee for parking in borough car parks during the evenings, including those by the council offices. This £100 increase will cover the cost for councillors attending evening meetings.
And if councillors are not accessible via home office facilities, the panel is recommending that they should not be allowed to receive a £500 allowance for IT equipment.
The Independent Remuner- ation Panel (IRP) was appointed after the previous panel resigned when its recommendations were rejected by Wokingham Conservatives group, then led by Cllr Keith Baker. The new panel, comprising three local people, has met seven times this year and is proposing a light touch review this year, ahead of a fuller review in 2018.
The previous panel resigned over SRAs – Special Responsibility Allowances – that are paid to members who serve on external committees and companies. This year, the new IRP is proposing a similar scheme: councillors should only receive one SRA payment, “being the one with the highest value”.
The report notes: “It would also bring the Council into line with the other Berkshire Unitaries.”
It also recommends that the council’s website should be updated to make it easier to find information on payments made to borough councillors.
Cllr Charlotte Haitham Taylor, Leader of the Council and the Conservative Group, said: “I think it’s important to emphasise that these recommendations have come from an independent Panel.
“They have rightly spoken to councillors from all parties, including me, to get their views on allowances, as well as seeking legal advice.
“There was a confrontational relationship between the previous Panel and the Council’s past leadership, something which, as the new Leader, I wanted to change.
“Their recommendation on SRAs is different from last year, because it specifically exempts the non-executive directors of the Council’s companies.
“I feel that this is sensible – the directors play a different role to, say, an Executive Member, with high-level legal responsibilities and liabilities.
“I am content to recommend the Panel’s proposals to Council in November.
“It is disappointing that the IRP’s recommendations have appeared in the public domain before the Panel had the chance to finalise their report.
“It is disrespectful to the hard-working individuals who volunteer their time on the Panel, who should have the opportunity to see a full and proper debate by Members of the Council.”
Cllr Lindsay Ferris, leader of Wokingham’s Liberal Democrats, said: “We have put in a report to democratic services. The IRP’s report has not been acceptable to some and there are still issues to be resolved: it’s still ongoing.”