The Director of Law, HR and Asset Management requested the Cabinet to make recommendations to the Annual Meeting of the Council in respect of the Members’ Allowances Scheme and, in particular, to consider any up-rating of the allowances, as permitted under the scheme. He reported that each increase of 1% in the basic allowance would add £8,262 to the members’ services budget, based on the current basic allowance and available special responsibility allowances. However, not all of the SRAs were currently taken up, which meant that, if an increase of up to 2.9% were recommended, it could be accommodated within the existing budget.

The setting of a members’ allowances scheme was a decision for the whole Council, based on recommendations from the Cabinet and he reported that any arrangement to implement an up-rating, as allowed by the Scheme, could remain in force for up to four years, i.e. until 2012. He envisaged no other changes to the Scheme and did not intend to request the Independent Remuneration Panel to meet.

RECOMMENDED –

(1) That Cabinet notes that on the basis of the formula recommended by the Independent Panel, the basic allowance for Councillors would increase to £9500, an increase of 3.6%. However, Cabinet recognises the need to show restraint in the public finances at these difficult economic times and therefore proposes that the basic allowance remains at its current value of £9171 at this time.

(2) That the dependant carer’s allowance be increased to £5.73 per hour.