5
The HMC considered report ES/0832, the purpose of which was to consider Co-Opted Members' Allowances.
The HMC was reminded of the process that had taken place to appoint co-opted members to the HMC and that, in accordance with the Council's Constitution, those co-opted members would receive an allowance per meeting in order to be appropriately recompensed for the time given to the HMC. The amount payable per meeting would be based on a Councillor's Basic Allowance, currently £7706.25, multiplied by between 1% and 4%, the equivalent of between £77.06 and £308.25 per meeting. Under the Council's, Members Allowances' Scheme, the co-opted members would also be able to claim travel and subsistence, as well as the potential to claim transport costs and carers/childcare costs to enable their attendance at meetings. The Council's Constitution also set out that the percentage was to be determined at the discretion of the Chairman of the Committee on which the co-opted Members sat.
The Chairman advised members of the research he had undertaken and that he had looked at comparable rates elsewhere. He had come to the conclusion that 1.75% of a Councillor's annual allowance, that was £134.86 per meeting, would be an appropriate amount.
The Cabinet Members present supported the Chairman's proposal and questioned whether it should be reviewed in 12 months time because the amount of work involved in being a member of the HMC was an unknown quantity at this moment in time.
Having consulted his fellow Cabinet Members, the Chairman
RESOLVED
1. That, the co-opted members on the HMC be paid 1.75% of a Councillors basic allowance, being £134.86 per meeting, and
2. That, due to the amount of work that might be required in the future, that payment be reviewed after one year.
Note: Messrs Gledhill, MacFarlane and Pickles re-joined the meeting at 4.13pm.