Schemes of Members Allowances and Expenses

Report: 11 - agm
Date: 08 July 2004
By: Clerk

AGM report

Summary

The Authority is asked to confirm or amend the Schemes for the payment of Members’ Allowances and Expenses.

A. Recommendation

1. Agrees to amend the Scheme of Members’ Allowances as recommended in paragraphs 4 and 5 below; and

2. Confirms the current Schemes of Members’ Expenses.

B. Supporting information

1. The basis on which members’ allowances and expenses are paid are set out in formal schemes, copies of which are attached as Appendices A and B.

Scheme of Allowances

2. The Scheme of Allowances was agreed by the Authority in January 2002, in line with the recommendations of an independent panel commissioned by the Association of Police Authorities to bring consistency to police authorities’ payment of allowances. The key change was away from attendance allowances to payment of basic annual allowances coupled with an additional payment – a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) – for particular positions.

3. As agreed in 2002, the allowances are automatically uprated each year in line with the Police Support Staff Council cost of living increases.

4. If the Authority confirms the committee structure proposed elsewhere on this meeting’s agenda, some minor consequential changes will be necessary to paragraph 6 of the Scheme of Allowances, as follows:

• Reference to the Consultation Committee to be changed to Community Engagement Committee
• Chairship of the Corporate Governance Committee to be included in the list of committees attracting an SRA (with consequential deletion of ‘Audit’ as a portfolio attracting an SRA)

5. Members are also recommended to delete ‘Estates matters’ as a portfolio attracting an SRA, at least for the time being. The Authority agreed this as an SRA portfolio both because of the importance of estates matters and also because a former member – Nicholas Long – had particular expertise in this area and made a significant commitment and contribution to the management of the MPA estate. The position in relation to this, or other, portfolio roles can be reviewed in due course in the light of experience.

Scheme of Expenses

6. The Scheme of Expenses is also based on the recommendations of the APA’s independent panel, although some incremental changes have been made over time. It is attached as Appendix B and the Authority is recommended to confirm it.

C. Equality and diversity implications

The changes proposed in this report have no race or equality implications.

D. Financial implications

There are no significant financial implications. Amending the allowances scheme by the removal of estates matters as an SRA portfolio would result in £2,135 less expenditure on allowances a year.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Simon Vile
For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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