Agenda item

Report attached.

Councillor Joyce Plummer left the meeting for the duration of this item and did not debate or vote upon the matter.

The Council considered a report by the Leader of the Council, which set out a recommendation of the Leader’s Policy Development Board in relation to the payment of a Deputy Mayor’s allowance.

Councillor Marlene Haworth provided a brief introduction to the report.

Members were informed that Section 3(5) of the Local Government Act allowed the Council to pay a reasonable allowance to its chairman (the Mayor) for the purpose of enabling him/her to meet the expenses of his/her office.

Members were reminded that prior to the Annual Council Meeting, on 18^th May 2023, a review of the Council’s Constitution had been undertaken by officers.  This process had included updates to the Civic Protocol, which had also highlighted the issue of the Deputy Mayor’s allowance.  Following discussion with the leadership of the new political administration it had been recommended at the Annual Council Meeting that an annual payment of £5,000 be made to the Deputy Mayor in respect of the costs and expenses associated with that office (such payment to be in addition to the payment already made to the Mayor to cover the costs and expenses of his/her office).  The allowance, if approved, would represent 60% of the figure for the Mayor’s allowance.

The Council had debated the matter at length, but had been unable to reach a consensus both on whether to grant such an allowance and as to what an appropriate amount would be.  It had been resolved that the Independent Remuneration Panel be requested to consider and make a recommendation to the Council about whether to make any payment to the Deputy Mayor and, if so, the amount of any such payment.  It had further been agreed that no payments be would be made to the office holder until the Panel’s recommendation had been discussed and determined by the Council.

Independent Remuneration Panel

A virtual meeting of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) had been convened on 1^st August 2023, at which the above matter had been discussed.  The Panel had considered a briefing note which set out the following information:

• The power to pay a Mayoral allowance;
• Recent calls for the payment of a Deputy Mayor’s allowance;
• The request from Council on 18^th May 2023 seeking the views of the IRP;
• Recent trends regarding the Mayor’s workload and cover provided by the Deputy Mayor;
• Comparative information about Mayor’s/Deputy Mayor’s Allowances in other authorities across Lancashire; and
• A list of potential factors for consideration by the IRP when reaching a decision.

The IRP had noted that the Deputy Mayor’s allowance across all Lancashire authorities (where paid) varied from £50 to £8,706 and, as a proportion of the Mayor’s allowance (including the county council and unitary authorities), figures were within the range 1% to 50%, with the median figure being 20%.

Panel Members had expressed some surprise that no allowance was currently being paid to the Deputy Mayor, as it was acknowledged that there could be a need from time to time for the Deputy Mayor to undertake duties on behalf of the Mayor and that there could be associated costs due to attending certain events.

However, Panel Members had been of the view that the allowance initially proposed of £5k (60% of the Mayor’s allowance) was disproportionate to the likely workload and anticipated expenses associated with the role and that Hyndburn would be an outlier if it were to agree to such an amount.  The Panel had noted that the median figure for district (lower tier) councils in Lancashire was 20%, although figures did vary between 1% and 27%.

There had initially been some disagreement about whether to backdate any payment to the start of the Municipal Year, given that the workload for 2023/24 was not yet known.  However, on balance, the Panel had felt that it would be appropriate to make the payment in full for the whole of the Municipal Year, as some costs might have been incurred up front, eg. clothing, and bearing in mind that the term of office of the Deputy Mayor was for the full year.

Accordingly, the IRP made the following recommendations:

(1)       That the Council should pay a Deputy Mayor’s allowance under s.3 LGA 1972.

(2)       That an amount equivalent to 20% of the Mayor’s allowance should be paid (c.£1,673)

(3)     That for the Municipal Year 2023/24 the Deputy Mayor’s allowance amount should be paid in full, ie. backdated to 18^th May 2023.

Leader’s Policy Development Board

The Leader’s Policy Development Board, on 2^nd August 2023, had been invited to consider the Panel’s decision above with a view to reaching a consensus on a recommendation to the next meeting of Council.

Having regard to the above recommendations, the Chair had proposed an allowance of £2k, as a fair amount which was broadly within the scope of the percentage figure recommended by the IRP.  The current office-holder was known to have attended some 5 or 6 events up to that date and had already paid for tickets for certain events to the value of £120.

Following discussions, the Board had been unable to reach a unanimous decision.  However, a majority decision had been approved as follows:

(1)       To note and endorse the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel in respect of the provision of a Deputy Mayor’s Allowance, subject to the total amount payable being set at £2k.

(2)     To submit the following recommendations to the next Council meeting:

(a)    That the Council should pay a Deputy Mayor’s allowance under s.3 LGA 1972.

(b)    That an annual amount of £2,000 should be paid.

(c)   That for the Municipal Year 2023/24 the Deputy Mayor’s allowance amount should be paid in full, ie. backdated to 18^th May 2023.

The Council was invited to consider the payment of an allowance to the Deputy Mayor.

It was MOVED and SECONDED:

“That Council:

(1)   Notes the advice provided by the Independent Remuneration Panel and the recommendations of the Leader’s Policy Development Board, in respect if the provision of a Deputy Mayor’s Allowance.

(2)   Approves the payment of an annual Deputy Mayor’s allowance under s.3 Local Government Act 1972, in the sum of £2,000, and agrees that for the Municipal Year 2023/24 the Deputy Mayor’s allowance amount should be paid in full, ie. backdated to 18th May 2023.”

Councillor Munsif Dad BEM JP spoked in favour of the IRP’s recommendation to pay and allowance of £1,673 and indicated that this was the preferred amount supported by the Labour group.  The commented that office should be considered a privilege and an honour.  He cited as an example of why it would not be appropriate to pay a higher rate of allowance, an occasion in September when the Mayor had been away at the time of a scheduled meeting of the Council, but the Deputy Mayor had also not been available.  Councillor Smithson reminded councillors that the procedure for cancelling the above-mentioned meeting had been agreed with the political party leaders before the decision had been taken.

The Mayor commented that it was standard practice across Lancashire authorities for the Deputy Mayor to receive an allowance.  In response to a question asked, he could not confirm exactly how many engagements had been covered by the Deputy Mayor to date, but this had been a busy year.  Councillors Melissa Fisher, Colin McKenzie and Noordad Aziz spoke against an allowance being granted at a level above the IRP’s recommendation.  Councillor Josh Allen spoke in favour of the motion.

The following AMENDMENT was MOVED and SECONDED:

The substitution of the figure “£1,673” for “£2,000” at paragraph (2) of the motion as proposed.

Councillors Zak Khan and Marlene Haworth spoke against the amendment.  Councillors Munsif Dad BEM JP and Scott Brerton spoke for the amendment.

On being put to the VOTE the AMENDMENT was LOST, whereupon the substantive motion was put;

Resolved                                    -    That Council:

(1)   Notes the advice provided by the Independent Remuneration Panel and the recommendations of the Leader’s Policy Development Board, in respect if the provision of a Deputy Mayor’s Allowance.

(2)   Approves the payment of an annual Deputy Mayor’s allowance under s.3 Local Government Act 1972, in the sum of £2,000, and agrees that for the Municipal Year 2023/24 the Deputy Mayor’s allowance amount should be paid in full, ie. backdated to 18^th May 2023.