Agenda item

To ask the Committee for their observations in order to respond to The Independent Remuneration Panel’s draft report consultation.

To accept the report and present the committee’s observations in order to respond to The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales’ draft report.

The Democracy and Language Services Manager presented the report by explaining that the panel were the ones responsible for setting the financial remuneration level for councillors. It was noted that their role was completely independent and that they published a report annually in October to outline the proposal for the subsequent financial year. For the 2024/25 financial year, it was explained that the panel had not suggested any significant changes but that they proposed increasing the basic allowance offered to Councillors and that it would be payable from April 2024 onwards. There would be an increase in the sum offered to the Councillors who received senior salaries as well.

It was explained that the other main change was that the panel addressed matters relating to payments for co-opted members. It was explained that the current arrangements noted that co-opted members should receive financial remuneration based on a full-day or half-day.  But due to changes to work practices, such as more frequent on-line briefing meetings etc., it was explained that the panel considered offering flexibility when paying co-opted members, including hourly rate payments. 

The Democracy and Language Service Manager explained that six questions were included in the consultation and asked whether it would be possible for the committee to provide comments on the different aspects per question in order to use the comments to prepare a response to the panel's consultation.

·        Question 1: Balance between affordability and sufficient financial remuneration for representatives?

o   It was noted that the panel’s proposals seemed affordable enough compared to the Council's budget as a whole and therefore seemed fair enough.

·        Question 2: Opinion on the flexibility of payments to Co-opted Members?

o   The Members agreed that the reasoning behind the change to the way Co-opted Members were paid made sense considering the change to the work circumstances and that it happened in a more fragmented and consistent way by now.

o   The system's flexibility and the way that it could be changed when new circumstances arose was praised.

·        Question 3: Good practice in terms of using the Panel's powers to encourage more sustainable travel amongst Members?

o   It was noted that the option of hybrid working had now led to more sustainable working and that providing Councillors with the choice was a good way forward.

o   Questions were asked relating to the situation regarding insurance if sharing a car with another Councillor to attend meetings.  In response, it was confirmed that there would need to change the insurance to a policy that covered business trips to be able to use it by virtue of the post.

o   Attention was drawn to the fact that travelling costs were significantly higher if one did ward work when living in a rural ward compared to an urban ward and that no recognition was given to that issue.

·        Question 4: Awareness of the Councillors' rights for reimbursements and the steps to improve that.

o   The Democracy and Language Services Manager noted that information regarding the Councillor's rights was available on the Members Intranet and in the Democracy Services Committee meetings. It was enquired what further steps could be taken to raise the Councillors awareness regarding their rights?

o   In response, it was noted that although some Councillors were not aware of all their rights, they knew who to contact if a problem did arise and that there would be officers available to answer any question.

o   Attention was drawn to the fact that a large proportion of the information was provided all together for the Councillors at the start of the period following the election and that it could be quite overwhelming. It was noted that sending the information again to remind the Councillors would be beneficial.

o   The Democracy and Language Services Manager agreed that sending the information once again would be beneficial, but she encouraged the members to make use of the weekly Bulletin for Members since it included a lot of information.

·        It was decided not to ask the members for their opinion on question 5 since it was more relevant to Town and Community Council members.

·        Question 6: Opinion on reports for the future to combine Members' travel and subsistence costs instead of per individual?

o   It was explained that the panel had suggested reporting on members' travel and subsistence costs as a lump sum per Council for the future instead of per member as was currently done.

o   In response, it was noted that providing the information per individual member meant that those members who lived the furthest away from Caernarfon would be associated with high travel costs.

o   If the intention was to ensure that individual members were not associated with high travel costs, support was expressed for the change since reporting information per individual member could be unfair to those who had to travel furthest.

RESOLVED to accept the report and present the committee's observations to formulate a response to the Independent Remuneration Panel's draft report consultation.