Agenda item

To consider a report on Members’ Allowances.

The committee considered the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) on a revised Scheme of Members’ Allowances in preparation for the Council’s transition to a Leader and Cabinet model in May 2026. The report outlined proposed updates to basic allowances, special responsibility allowances and indexation arrangements, based on comparator data and statutory guidance.

The committee supported the recommendation for the uplifts, for the financial years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 (2.5% and 3.2% respectively), to be applied to basic and special responsibility allowances within the 2023/2024 Scheme of Members’ Allowances, backdated to 1 April 2024. It was queried how many former councillors this would impact and if they would be entitled for the back-pay allowance. Officers committed to providing a written response.

The committee debated key issues arising from the report including subsidence allowances, time commitment remuneration from Members and if the suggested 50% voluntary element was outdated, the importance of reducing barriers to future potential candidates in local elections and ensuring the elected membership of the council was reflective of its local communities.

The committee supported a targeted future review of special responsibility allowances, including those relating to the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority and the Chair of the Cheshire Pension Fund Committee. Assurance was provided that the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority would seek to remunerate its Members as soon as it had been formally established and its own IRP had considered the matter.

During the debate, an amendment was proposed, seconded and subsequently carried by a majority, as set out below, in order to ensure that the IRP fully considered the council’s move to the Leader/Cabinet decision-making governance model and the significant increase in workload and responsibility for roles such as Portfolio Holders.

Proposed amendment to recommendation 3:

Proposer: Councillor N Mannion

Seconder: Councillor F Wilson

3. A targeted review be conducted, as soon as possible, by the IRP to consider member allowances for Cheshire East Council as a large unitary authority in a Cabinet system from May 2026 and report on the outcome as part of the review of the Leader and Cabinet system scheduled for later this year, and that the IRP also considers allowances for those members appointed to the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority and the Cheshire Pension Fund Committee.

RESOLVED (by majority):

That the Corporate Policy Committee recommend that Full Council

1. Agree that the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel, as set out in its report (Appendix 1).

2. Agree the uplifts for the financial years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 (2.5% and 3.2% respectively) be applied to basic and special responsibility allowances within the 2023/2024 Scheme of Members’ Allowances, backdated to 1 April 2024.

3. Agree that a targeted review be conducted, as soon as possible, by the IRP to consider member allowances for Cheshire East Council as a large unitary authority in a Cabinet system from May 2026 and report on the outcome as part of the review of the Leader and Cabinet system scheduled for later this year, and that the IRP also considers allowances for those members appointed to the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority and the Cheshire Pension Fund Committee.