Issue - meetings

Report of the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (O&S), firstly took the opportunity to thank the members of the task group that had undertaken the detailed work, and the officers that had supported it. 

He reminded Members that O&S were asked to consider the issue and in turn established a task group.  The task group considered advice from the Legal Officer on the Regulations relating to Members’ Allowances and found that where a Member took the position of Director or Trustee on an outside body, they then attended those meetings in their capacity as a Director or Trustee, rather than ‘representing the authority’.  As such the Regulations weren’t triggered and a Special Responsibility Allowance could not be paid.  The task group came back to O&S to ask if any further work should be undertaken on the subject and the decision was no.  Council were asked to note the recommendations of O&S Committee. 

There were no questions. 

The Leader thanked both O&S and the task group for their work on this subject.  He explained that he had made the original request in recognition that much of what the council now did in terms of the ‘day job’ was delivered by third party partners (e.g. CBH, Ubico, Publica and the Cheltenham Trust) and in many cases member representatives were appointed to those bodies.  Clearly, once appointed to those bodies (as Directors or Trustees), they had different legal responsibilities meaning that the authority could not pay a SRA, but he still felt that there was a case for paying those members an allowance in recognition of what they do for partner bodies that deliver council services. 

Despite the conclusions of the task group, Councillor Horwood, as chair, made clear that the outside bodies themselves were not prevented from paying an allowance to those members that were appointed and felt that wholly appropriate that they be treated in an equitable way as any other Directors or Trustees. 

The Mayor advised that he had not declared an interest in this item as there was an obscure clause within the Airports Act which meant that neither, the authority or Airport itself were permitted to pay an allowance to member representatives, of which he was one.  Whilst he was a strong advocate of voluntary work, he acknowledged that some responsibilities were quite onerous and that without some form of allowance, some members would find it difficult to spare the time, in financial terms. 

Upon a vote it was

RESOLVED THAT

the report be noted.