Agenda item

Report of the Clerk to the Authority (DSFRA/23/26) attached.

The Authority considered a report of the Clerk to the Authority (DSFRA/23/26) to which was appended a review, conducted by an independent consultant, on the level of Members’ allowances to be payable from the 2024-25 financial year (including a mechanism for automatically uprating these allowances for the following three financial years up to and including 2027-28).  The review had been informed by existing legislation and guidance on allowances and had examined, amongst other things, allowances payable by other combined fire and rescue authorities and allowances currently payable by Devon and Somerset County Councils, Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council (the constituent authorities which appointed to the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority).

Following a debate on the report, including discussion as to affordability – for which the Treasurer provided an assurance that the proposals could be contained within available resources – Councillor Randall-Johnson MOVED, with Councillor Clayton seconding, that the recommendations contained in the report of the independent consultant be approved.

This motion was put to the vote whereupon it was

RESOLVED that

(a).     the basic allowance be set at:

·         £3,346 from 1 April 2024, and

·         Provisionally, £3,505 from 1 April 2025, subject to:

o    the officers increase not being more that 4.75%;

o    that should the increase be higher then the higher amount should be used as the uprating for the basic allowance and the SRAs appropriately; and

o    that if there is a pay freeze, this provisional increase should also be revisited);

(b).     Members should only be able to claim one Special Responsibility Allowance (at the highest rate applicable);

(c).     the multiplier for the Chair’s Allowance be set at 4.9x basic allowance giving an allowance of £16,395 from 1 April 2024 and £17,175 from 1 April 2025 (subject to (a) above);

(d).     the Vice Chair’s allowance be set at 2.48x basic allowance giving an allowance of £8,298 from 1 April 2024 and £8,692 from 1 April 2025 (subject to (a) above);

(e).     the Committee Chair’s Allowance be set at 1.45x basic allowance giving an allowance of £4,52 from 1 April 2024 and £5,082 from 1 April 2025 (subject to (a) above);

(f).      the allowance for the Non-Executive Directors placed on the board of Red One Ltd should be set at 2.2x basic allowance at £7,361 from 1 April 2024 and £7,771 from 1 April 2025 (subject to (a) above);

(g).     the allowance for the Local Pensions Board should be set at 0.15x basic allowance giving an allowance of £501 from 1 April 2024 and £525 from 1 April 2025 (subject to (a) above);

(h).     the allowance for Independent Members of the Audit & Governance Committee should be set at 0.5x basic allowance giving an allowance of £1,673 from 1 April 2024 and £1,753 from 1 April 2025 (subject to (a) above);

(i).       from 1 April 2026 uprating of allowances should continue to be linked to any annual increase agreed by the NJC for Local Government Services (Green Book). In the event of a flat-rate increase arising from the Green Book pay award in any future year, the automatic uprating applied should be the percentage increase on the overall Green Book staffing budget resulting from the pay award.

(j).       travel rates should be linked to the rates published by HMRC and uprated as appropriate.

(k).     subsistence should be linked to the employee scheme and uprated as appropriate.

(l).       overnight accommodation should be approved via Democratic Services based on the introduction of the following guidelines:

Members would be eligible for overnight accommodation when:

·         A Member is attending a residential event as the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority appointed representative; and

·         Attendance at a non-residential meeting by a member as the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority appointed representative would require them to leave home before 7.00am or arrive back home after 11pm.

When booking accommodation, either via Democratic Services or directly, there is an expectation that reasonable effort be made to book as far in advance as possible to secure the best rate available