Agenda item

To receive the interim report of the Independent Remuneration Panel and to agree the following recommendation:

That, without prejudice to any recommendations to be made by the Independent Remuneration Panel in its final report in March 2014, an exceptional one-off payment of £5,000 for the financial year 2013/2014 be made to Cabinet Associates with immediate effect.

The Leader of the Council informed Members that this recommendation from the Independent Remuneration Panel was for an exceptional one-off payment for Cabinet Associates. He also requested that the word ‘each’ should be inserted prior to ‘Cabinet Associate with immediate effect’

Mrs Watson moved an amendment, which was to add an additional recommendation to that proposed by the Independent Remuneration Panel. This amendment was formally seconded by Mrs White.

The additional recommendation was:

‘As the appointment of Cabinet Associates is a redistribution of the workload of the relevant Cabinet Member, a deduction of £5,000 shall be made from the special Responsibility allowance of the relevant Cabinet Member; thus ensuring the Cabinet and Cabinet Associates remain cost neutral in the current period of pay restraint.’

Mrs Watson said that she considered that the creation of Cabinet Associate roles was unnecessary because, in her view, the workload of Cabinet Members had not increased. Also, there were a significant number of Conservative councillors with Special Responsibility Allowances, with Surrey council taxpayers footing the bill.

Nine Members spoke on the amendment, with the following points being made:

·         That the balance of the Cabinet portfolios was unequal.

·         Concern about the budget and which budget would fund the immediate payments.

·         Merging the two children’s select committees from the previous council into one Children and Education Select Committee had given this select committee a very large workload.

·         Comparing with other local authorities, the allowances paid to Surrey’s Cabinet Members was at the lower end of the spectrum.

·         The workload of Cabinet Members was increasing and the role of the Cabinet Associates was to assist the Cabinet Member, it was not a job share.

·         Increases proposed by the Independent Remuneration Panel to Members’ Allowances over the last few years, had often been rejected.

·         Cabinet Members were ‘value for money’ – they had responsibility for large budgets.

·         Concern expressed that these additional posts would increase the cost of Members’ Allowances, at a time when some residents were finding it difficult to meet their bills.

·         It was the role of select committee chairmen to hold the Cabinet to account.

·         That this change increased the overall number of special responsibility posts for Cabinet and Cabinet Associates so that this now exceeds that for scrutiny of the Cabinet for the first time.

Mrs Watson requested a recorded vote on the amendment and 10 Members stood in support of this request.

The following Members voted for the amendment:

Mr Beardsmore, Mr Beckett, Mr Cooksey, Mr Essex, Mr Robert Evans,

Mr Forster, Mr Goodwin, Mr Harrison, Mr Hickman, Mr Jenkins, Mr Johnson, Mr Kington, Mrs Mason, Mr Orrick, Mrs Searle, Mr Selleck, Mr Townsend, Mrs Watson, Mrs White, Mrs Windsor

The following Members voted against the amendment:

Mrs Angell, Ms Bowes, Mr Brett-Warburton, Mr Carasco, Mrs Clack,

Mrs Curran, Mr Tim Evans, Mrs Frost, Mr Furey, Mr Gardner, Mr Goodman, Mr Gulati, Mrs Hammond, Mr Harmer, Miss Heath, Mr Hodge, Mr Kemp,

Mrs Lake, Ms Le Gal, Mrs Lewis, Mr Mahne, Mr Mallett, Mrs Marks,

Mr Martin, Mr Munro, Mr Norman, Mr Page, Mr Pitt, Mrs Saligopoulos,

Mr Skellett, Mr Taylor, Ms Thomson, Mr Walsh and Mr Wilson

There were three abstentions:

Mr Barker, Mrs Bramhall and Mrs Coleman

Therefore, the amendment to the recommendation was lost.

Returning to the original recommendation:

Mr Kington spoke and said that the creation of Cabinet Associates was a ‘blank cheque’ policy because there was no limit specified for the number of Cabinet Associates. He urged Members to vote against the recommendation.

Mrs Frost referred to the final report of the Independent Remuneration Panel, which was scheduled to be considered at the County Council meeting in March 2014 and requested that the Panel reviewed the responsibility allowances for the local committees’ Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen in the light of the additional responsibilities now devolved to these committees.

The recommendation was put to the vote with 28 Members voting for and 20 Members voting against it. There were 2 abstentions. Therefore it was:

RESOLVED:

That, without prejudice to any recommendations to be made by the Independent Remuneration Panel in its final report in March 2014, an exceptional one-off payment of £5,000 for the financial year 2013/2014 be made to each Cabinet Associate with immediate effect.