Report of Independent Remuneration Panel December 2019

Summary of Recommendations and Actions

IRP Recommendation	Council Decision	Action Taken
Basic allowance of £10,371. Various SRAs	Adopt the scheme of allowances recommended by the Panel and approve the financial implications from 1 April 2020 (an additional increased cost per annum of circa £120k) being addressed and taken into account, as part of the forthcoming budget setting process for the Council for 2020/21 onwards;	Implemented
Panel recommended backdating implementation to 22 May 2019	Authorise the Interim Chief Executive to implement the changes and backdate to 22 May 2019 (Annual Council Meeting), with any budgetary implications up to 31 March 2020 (an additional one-off cost of circa £100k) being met from the general contingency budget 2019/20;^1	Implemented
	Ask the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential constitutional changes.”	Changes made
The Panel therefore recommends that Council request a review into the support that Councillors receive around the handling and tracking of their casework and any policies currently in place.	No decision made	No action
The Panel believes that Councillors should have access to a similar level of Welfare Support to that of a City of York Council employee. Work related and personal stress affects Councillors as it affects staff and whilst the Panel recognise that Councillors are not employees, they considered it both a reasonable and appropriate gesture to open the existing offer to Councillors as well, wherever possible.	Ask the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential constitutional changes	Appendix 20 of Constitution revised as follows: Welfare Support 3.7      In recognition of the effects of work related and personal stress related to their role, Members will be able to access, in principle, a similar level of Welfare Support to that of a City of York Council employee, where deemed appropriate in consultation with the Head of Human Resources. December 2023, Elected Members given access to Employee Assistance Programme (covering various welfare support issues)
The Panel recommends that both the Council (at pre-election stage) and political groups make potential candidates aware of all that would be expected of them upon election.	No formal decision made - See actions	Full details provided to all Groups on the Council prior to the local elections in May 2023 for sharing with candidates as appropriate with many aspects being made mandatory upon election.
The Panel recommends that the Council undertake a review of the civic support package and that recommendations are acted upon.	No formal decision made – see actions	Civic Function transferred under new line management in 2023 to bolster support and resources available to it.  The service now resides within the Mansion House Service (intrinsically linked as the residence of the Lord Mayor)
The Panel was made aware of the recent decision of the IRP for the North Yorkshire County Council to recommend that a small allowance (in the sum of £1,697 per annum) be awarded to each Councillor appointed by Local Authorities across the region to represent them on the Police, Fire and Crime Panel. Having been asked to consider the position for York, the Panel looked at the issues in some detail and, in principle, agreed to support and endorse the recommendations suggested by North Yorkshire County Council’s IRP. However, the Panel advises that Council would need to have due regard to its practice of awarding only one SRA per Councillor.	Adopt the scheme of allowances recommended by the Panel and approve the financial implications from 1 April 2020 (an additional increased cost per annum of circa £120k) being addressed and taken into account, as part of the forthcoming budget setting process for the Council for 2020/21 onwards;	Arrangements made with North Yorkshire County Council to remunerate York’s Panel representatives on a yearly basis