Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from any members of the Committee.

Apologies were received from Councillors  Fatima Zaman and Lara Fish.

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) they may have in relation to any item(s) of business on today’s agenda.

There were none.

The Monitoring Officer granted a general dispensation to all Members present at the Committee to enable the consideration of item 6 – Scheme of Members’ Allowances

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 28 November 2023 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

RESOLVED:

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 28 November 2023 as an accurate record of the proceedings.

To agree and recommend to full Council, Croydon Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2024/2025.

The Committee received the report of the Assistant Chief Executive which set out the remuneration of senior staff, designated Chief Officers and lowest paid employees. It also clarified the relationship between the remuneration of its Chief Officers. The Chief People Officer, Dean Shoesmith, highlighted the following during his presentation:

·       the Appointments and Disciplinary Committee (ADC) had agreed on 15 February 2024, for the post of Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service to be linked to the National JNC Chief Executives Pay Review, which is an annual pay review.

·       ADC had the responsibility for approving pay at £100K or more a year for new chief officer posts including chief officers and deputy chief officers, which were not in existence at the time of the publication.

·       the post of Chief Executive - Head of Paid Service reflected the application of the JNC Chief Executive National Pay Award which was approved in November 2023.

Members asked if the Pay Statement had been scrutinised to ensure value for money and if the Improvement Assurance Panel (IAP) had been consulted. In response, the officer explained that the Pay Statement had been benchmarked with other London boroughs, to ensure the right balance of affordability and competitiveness in the marketplace to enable Croydon recruit and retain its workforce at various levels. The Chair of IAP had been consulted and no adverse feedback was received.

The officer also clarified that pay below director level or £100K was delegated to the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service and pay above £100K must be approved by the Council's Appointments and Disciplinary Committee.

RESOLVED: to agree the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for the financial year 2024/2025, as set out in the report, appendices and the addendum report and recommend this to Full Council for adoption.

To note the changes in the location of some polling stations for the Greater London Authority (GLA) elections on 2 May 2024.

The committee received a presentation from David Courcoux, the Director of Policy, Programmes, and Performance, and Seth Alker, the Head of Elections, on the report which set out the  information on the Constituency Returning Officer’s decision to allocate electors to polling stations at the Greater London Authority elections on 2 May 2024 different from the Parliamentary election polling places that were approved by the Council on 27 January 2020 as set out below:

Members asked why schools were classified as unavailable. Officers explained that the Minister had asked Councils to avoid using schools as polling places due to the effect on students, teachers and parents.

Officers informed the committee that the Greater London Authority (GLA) elections had been fixed for May 2024 and the Council was planning on the basis that it may be a combined election (GLA and general election).  Officers were expecting a definite announcement before 26 March 2024 and arrangements were in place to hold a joint count for Croydon and Sutton at the Excel Centre in East London.

They further stated that as previously agreed, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37/24

To agree and recommend to full Council, changes to the Scheme of Members’ Allowances.

The Committee received a presentation on the report from the Head of Democratic Services, Adrian May. The Monitoring officer, Director of Legal Services, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense and Deputy Monitoring Officer Looqman Desai were also in attendance.

The Monitoring Officer granted a general dispensation to all Members present to enable the consideration of the report.

The Head of Democratic Services took the Committee through the report and Members asked questions and discussed the recommendations at length. Some Members felt that due consideration should be given to the recommendation in the Independent Panel Report while others felt that the proposed 3.88% increase in Members’ allowances was unacceptable in light of the Council’s financial situation, the increase in council tax and the impact of the cost of living crisis on local residents.

Members expressed concerns that if the inflation increase was not applied, it may be compounded in future and make it difficult for the Croydon’s Scheme which was already behind, to catch up with other schemes nationally. Additionally, Members felt that not agreeing the increase would impact negatively on those from financially restrained backgrounds and discourage new entrants into the field of politics and public service.

The Chair felt that there was not broad support for the 3.88% increase to the Scheme and Members amended the recommendations which was put to the vote and the Committee RESOLVED to:

2.1             give due consideration to the Independent Panel Report on the Remuneration of?Councillors in London for 2023 (“Remuneration Report”) including the recommendation that?all member allowances should be updated annually in line with the percentage?pay award agreed by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services Staff.?

2.2             agree that no increase be applied to the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2023/24 and recommend to full Council for adoption.

2.3             agree the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2024/25 (Appendix 2 which shows track changes from the 2023/24 scheme).

2.4             agree that the Director of Legal Services be authorised to comply with the statutory requirements to publicise the 2024/25 Members’ Allowances Scheme and make all necessary updates to the Constitution; and,

2.5             to undertake a review of the Members’ Allowances Scheme in 2024 to further?consider the remuneration report and feedback received on the Scheme, with the aim of the review coming back to the Committee in November 2024. ?

To consider any urgent business.

There were none.