The Head of Finance presented the report which reminded Members that at the Council meeting on 1 October 2013 the Governance Committee was asked to review the allocation of special responsibility allowances and consider all options within the budget available. The Committee had considered the issue of allowances for Vice-Chairmen at the meeting on 5 November 2013, and agreed that the Vice-Chairman of the Development Control Committee had unique responsibilities and these should be recognised through a special responsibility allowance.   A Working Group had been established to further review the allocation of special responsibility allowances and was recommending that a special responsibility allowance should be paid to all vice-chairmen to reflect their share of the workload and level of responsibility.  The Working Group recommendation was for the allowances for Chairmen agreed by Council on 1 October 2013, to now be ‘top-sliced’ by 20% and that amount be paid to the Vice Chairman.

In relation to the Audit Committee as there was currently no Vice Chairman no top slicing would take place at this moment in time.

The Committee further considered whether an allowance should be paid to the Chairman of Standards Committee as an allowance had not been agreed for this role at the meeting of Council on 1 October.  It was proposed that as the Committee met only once a year only a proportion of the sum already paid to other Chairman should be made.  It was felt that half of this allowance would be most appropriate and this allowance would be top-sliced in the same way and paid to the Vice Chairman 

It was noted that the Scrutiny Chairman had been given an allowance at Council and that there  was an error on the appendix to the report.  This has now been rectified as set out below.

Resolved:  That it be recommended to Council that, from the date of the resolution,

a)     an allowance be paid to the Chairman of Standards Committee, half of that currently paid to the other committee chairmen; and

b)     the allowances for all Chairmen be ‘top-sliced’ by 20% and paid to the Vice Chairman as set out below: