Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

10 December, 2003

Scheme of Allowances for Members of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Report of the Clerk

Contact: Mr. K. Ridout on 01962 847356.

1. Introduction

1.1. The Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 came into force on 1 May 2003 and require Fire Authorities for the first time to make a scheme for the payment of basic allowance, special responsibility, travelling and subsistence and other specified Members' allowances. Initially, such schemes were required to be in place by 30 September 2003, but revised regulations have put this date back to 31 December 2003.

1.2. At its meeting on 17 September 2003, the Authority noted the intention of the Clerk to make arrangements for an informal HFRA - Independent Remuneration Panel comprising of a County and a Southampton Remuneration Panel Member (there was no Portsmouth Member Volunteer) to meet to consider a draft Members' allowances scheme prior to the matter going forward to the HFRA - Standards Committee and then onto this meeting. The Members' allowances scheme which is approved can, of course, be backdated to 1 May 2003.

2. HFRA - Independent Remuneration Panel

2.1. The Independent Remuneration Panel met on 13 October 2003 and considered the report of the Clerk, together with other background information including extracts of Members' Allowances adopted by other Fire Authorities, the County Council's Members' Allowances and Expenses Scheme, the Hampshire Police Authority Scheme of Allowances 2003/04, the recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panels of Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton to their respective Councils regarding their schemes of allowances etc. The notes of this meeting and report of the Clerk are shown as Annexures II and III respectively.

3. HFRA - Standards Committee

3.1. The Standards Committee met on 24 October 2003. Members had before them the same information as before the Independent Remuneration Panel, together with the notes of that meeting. The Minutes of the Standards Committee are shown as Annexure I.

3.2. The Authority will see that the Standards Committee are recommending a higher basic allowance than the Independent Remuneration Panel, the same Special Responsibility Allowances for the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Authority but different allowances for the various Chairmen of Committees as they felt their responsibilities were not the same. Also, the Standards Committee are recommending a higher special responsibility allowance for the two Independent Members than the Independent Remuneration Panel but allowances for the Liberal Democrat and Labour spokespersons as proposed by the IRP. The Standards Committee supported each of the remaining IRP's recommended allowances and other provisions. However, they further recommended that, as part of the full review of all allowances by the Independent Remuneration Panel shall in 2005, the Panel have before them a proper job description for each of those Members with special responsibilities to enable each of the respective allowances to be re-evaluated at that time.

4. Independent Remuneration Panel and Standards Committee Recommendations

4.1. As a direct comparison, I set out below a table showing the basic allowance and special responsibility allowances as recommended (A) by the Remuneration Panel and (B) by the Standards Committee.

£ £

Remuneration Standards
Panel (A) Committee (B)
per annum per annum


(i) Basic Allowance 1,000 2,500


(ii) Special Responsibility Allowances

Only one special responsibility allowance is
payable to any Member under the scheme.
The allowances in brackets will not be paid
whilst the current post holder receives a
higher special responsibility allowance in
respect of another post, except where a
Vice-Chairman of the Authority is also
Chairman of a Committee.

Chairman of the Authority 10,300 10,300
Vice-Chairmen of the Authority (x 2) 500 each 500 each

Chairman of Committees (x 4) 6,200 each
Finance and General Purposes 6,200
Personnel 5,500
Performance Review 3,500
Standards 3,000

Vice-Chairman of Committees
Finance and General Purposes 1,500 1,500
Personnel 1,500 1,400
Performance Review (not
payable at present 900
as no Vice-Chairman appointed)

Standards (1,500) (750)

Independent Members (x2) serving on
Standards Committee 400 each 800 each
Minority Spokespersons on HFRA
Liberal Democrat Party 5,150 5,150
Labour Party 2,580 2,580

5. Costs

5.1. The expected additional costs based on the above recommendations are as follows:-

2003/04 2004/05
(if backdated to
1 May 2003)
£'000 £'000

Independent Remuneration Panel
Recommendations 69 76

Standards Committee Recommendations 96 105

6. European Convention on Human Rights and Human Rights Act 1998

6.1. The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998, and considered in the light of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

RECOMMENDATION:

That a scheme of allowances for Members of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority be as recommended by the HFRA - Standards Committee meeting on 24 October, 2003 and that the date by which this scheme should take effect be determined by the Authority.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

Published works.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

4gR721103