Agenda item

            The Committee was advised that the Department for Communities had issued a circular, LG 07/2019, which set out revised maximum limits for basic and special responsibility allowances with effect from 1st April, 2019.

            The Democratic Services Manager reminded the  Committee that, at its meeting in August 2016, it had agreed to apply the increase in the basic allowance from £14,200 per annum to £14,342 with effect from 1st April, 2016 and agreed also the increase in the basic allowance to £14,485 with effect from 1st April, 2017.  That had represented a 1% increase for both the 2016 and 2017 years.  However, the Council, at its meeting in September 2016, rejected that decision and agreed not to apply any increase in the basic and special responsibility allowances for 2016 and 2017.  Since that date, no increase in either the basic or the special responsibility allowance had been approved.

            He explained that information received had indicated that all of the other ten local councils had agreed to apply the increases and, therefore, an elected Member in Belfast was currently receiving a lesser basic allowance than Councillors in the other councils.  The Committee was requested to consider whether it wished to agree to the increase in the basic allowance to £15,071 per annum with effect from 7th May, 2019 (the date upon which Members of the Council officially took up office after the local elections).

            The Committee was also requested to consider whether to apply the revised allocation of the special responsibility allowances, as set out in appendix 3 to the report, with effect from 21st May, 2019 (the date of the Annual Council Meeting).  For a number of years, the Council had agreed a split in the special responsibility allowance budget so as to pay both the Chairpersons and the Deputy Chairpersons of the Standing Committees and the Party Officers (Party Leader, Deputy Party Leader and Party Secretary – depending upon Party size).  In this new Council Term, there were now eight Parties as opposed to the six we had in the previous Term and therefore there were more Party Officers sharing the overall allowance.  If the increase in the overall budget was not applied, then that would mean that the Committee would need to approve a new split of the SRAs. A suggested split was set out in appendix 2 to the report.

Proposal

Moved by Councillor Beattie,

Seconded by Councillor Carson,

      That the Committee agrees not to increase the basic and special responsibility allowances.

Amendment

Moved by Councillor Long,

Seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor McDonough-Brown),

      That the Committee agrees to increase the basic responsibility allowance from £14,200 to £15,057 with effect from 7th May, 2019 but that no increase be applied to the special responsibility allowance (SRA) and that the split for  the SRA be as set out in appendix 2.

            On a vote by show of hands ten Members voted for the amendment and six against and it was declared carried.

            The amendment was thereupon put as the substantive motion, with ten Members voting for and six against and it was declared carried.

            Accordingly, a copy of appendix 2 is set out below:

Appendix2

AllocationofSpecialResponsibilityAllowance–WithAdditionalParty Leaders

Chairpersonsand Deputy Chairpersons

PoliticalPartyOfficers

Party LeaderBasicAllocation                                     £3,200

Deputy Leader/Secretary Basic Allocation                 £2,900

Remainderallocated toPolitical Party Leaders          £140.83per Memberof the Party

Total                                                                                                                                   

£107,999.80