Issue - meetings

The Committee considered a joint report of the Chief Executive and the County Treasurer outlining proposals set out in two consultation papers issued by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and to enable members to consider how the County Council might respond.  The consultation papers related to:-

 

(a)       travel, subsistence and certain other allowances for members of local authorities and other bodies.

 

(b)            Pensions for elected members. 

 

A copy of the report marked ‘C’ is filed with these minutes.

 

It was RESOLVED that the proposals contained in the consultation papers outlined in the report be generally welcomed and that the Chief Executive be authorised to submit the following comments to the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

 

Travel and Subsistence Allowances

 

The community representational role of elected members, particularly in rural areas, does not appear to have been recognised, by enabling allowances to be paid for attendance by County Councillors at the invitation of Parish Councils and similar bodies on matters affecting their electoral division.

 

The proposal that Combined Fire Authorities should be able to make their own schemes in relation to allowances is noted but it would be inconsistent to allow Fire Authorities to determine a scheme without the advice of an independent remuneration panel, as is the case with local authorities.

 

Pensions for Elected Members

 

The proposal to limit eligibility to “members of the Executive and Chairs of overview and scrutiny committees” is too prescriptive.  For example, in the case of Leicestershire it would mean that the Deputy Chairman and Spokesmen of the Commission would be ineligible yet they are in receipt of higher special responsibility allowances than the Chairmen of Scrutiny Committees.

 

The same provision should apply to members of the Executive and those having responsibilities for overview and scrutiny in relation to the six months qualification period.