Announcements

CITY OF YORK COUNCIL
SCHEME OF COUNCILLORS' ALLOWANCES AND INDEPENDENT REMUNERATION PANEL REPORT
Notice is hereby given that the Council has received a report from the Independent Remuneration Panel appointed in accordance with the Local Authorities (Members Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003. The Panel has made the following recommendations for the payment of allowances with effect from 1 January 2016.
Basic allowance
It is recommended that the basic allowance be £8,667 per annum
Special Responsibility Allowances
It is recommended that Special Responsibility Allowances be as follows:
Leader of the Council Deputy Leader of the Council Group Leader (Main Opposition) Deputy Group Leader (Group with more than ten Members)
Group Leader (Minority Party Executive Member
Chair Scrutiny Management Committee Chair Scrutiny Committees Chair Planning Committee Chair Planning Sub-Committee Chair Licensing and Regulatory Committee Chair Audit and Governance Committee Lord Mayor as Chair of Council
£26,001 £18,201 £11,700 £5,200
£5,200
£15,600
£5200
£5,200
£7,800
£5,200
£5,200
£5,200
£2600
Dependent Care allowances
The Panel recommends:
? That dependent care allowances should be paid where the provision of such care is necessary to enable a Member to carry out council functions.

? That reimbursement of costs incurred should normally be at a rate of the living wage.

? That this rate of allowance may be exceeded in circumstances where professional care is required for children or dependent relatives with medical or other special needs.

? In no circumstances should the allowance exceed the amount actually paid and supported by receipts.

Travel Allowances
The Panel recommends that there should be no travel allowance for travel within the area of the City unless the Member has medical or other special needs requiring the use of taxis. In the latter case payment should be made in respect of the use of taxis on approved duties.
Travel allowances should continue to be payable on travel outside of the City in respect of approved duties. The Panel recommends that the following be regarded as approved duties:
â–  A meeting of a joint committee of which the Authority is a member

â–  A meeting of any body to which the Council makes appointments

â–  A meeting of the Local Government Association, any sub group of the Association or any body to which the Association makes appointments

â–  Duties undertaken on behalf of the Authority in connection with the discharge of any function of the authority conferred by or under any enactment and empowering or requiring the Authority to inspect or authorise the inspection of premises

â–  Duties undertaken on behalf of the Authority in connection with arrangements made by the authority for the attendance of pupils at a school approved for the purposes of section 342 of the Education Act 1996

â–  Ameeting which has both been authorised bythe Authority, a committee, or subcommittee of the Authority or a

joint committee of the Authority and one or more other authorities, or a sub-committee of a joint committee and to which representatives of more than one political group have been invited (if the authority is divided into several political groups) or to which two or more councillors have been invited (if the authority is not divided)
â–  Visits by Executive Members, Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Committees and Group Leaders on business associated with those roles.

â–  Attendance of Members at conferences, training courses and seminars approved in accordance with the council's arrangements for Member development

â–  Other travel approved by the appropriate Officer as being reasonably necessary to further the aims of the council (excluding travel for partypolitical or social functions)

The recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel are to be considered at a meeting of the Council to be held on Thursday 17 December 2015 at 6.30pm.
Copies of the report are available for inspection during normal office hours at West Offices, Station Rise, York and can be viewed on the Council's website.
Andy Docherty, Assistant Director of Governance and ICT West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA
10 December 2015