Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee and Councillors Remuneration
Renfrewshire Council · 27 February 2025
Back to Council — 27 February 2025 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 27 February 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance & Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee and Councillors Remuneration ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC) was reconvened in April 2023 to undertake an independent review of councillor remuneration, having last reported in 2011. 1.2 SLARC reported to the Scottish Government in February 2024. The Scottish Government accepted the majority of the recommendations made and advised they would bring forward regulations implementing those recommendations. 1.3 The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (Remuneration) Amendment Regulations 2025 were published in January 2025. This report sets out the changes to Councillors’ Remuneration arising from those revised Regulations and asks Council to consider the matters where the Council has discretion. _________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended the Council: (a) Notes the content of the report and the revised remuneration levels for the Leader of the Council and Elected Members. (b) Agrees the revised remuneration for the Civic Head of the Council.
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(c) That Council consider the proposed revised structure of payments to Senior Councillors as set out in the Appendix to this report. 3. Background 3.1 The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC) was reconvened in April 2023 to undertake an independent review of councillor remuneration, having last reported in 2011. 3.2 SLARC reported to the Scottish Government in February 2024. Their report made a number of recommendations in respect on the roles of councillors, the remuneration they should receive and how many senior councillors councils should have. Some of these recommendations had no direct effect on the Council as there were no proposals to change Renfrewshire Council’s banding or maximum number of senior councillors. 3.3 However, a number of the recommendations were of direct interest to the Council. SLARC recommended that the salaries of councillors be set at 80% of the median salary for all employees in the public sector in Scotland as published in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). Using this metric they proposed an annual salary of £24,581 with effect from 1 April 2024. They further recommended that the salaries of Council Leaders in the current Band D (Glasgow and Edinburgh) be benchmarked at the salary of a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), with the salaries of Council Leaders in the current Band C be set at 85% of the salary of those in current Band D; and those in the combined Bands A and B be set at 70% of the salary of those in the current Band D. They also recommended that the salaries of Civic Heads and Senior Councillors continue to be set at up to a maximum of 75% of the salary of their Council Leader. 3.4 The Scottish Government accepted the majority of the recommendations made and advised they would bring forward regulations implementing those recommendations with effect from April 2025. 3.5 The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (Remuneration) Amendment Regulations 2025 were published in January 2025. 3.6 The Regulations have set the remuneration for the Leader of the Council at £50,063. They have also set the level of Councillors’ remuneration at £25,982. 3.7 The Regulations also set the new maximum remuneration level for the Civic Head of the Council at £37,458. However, it should be noted that the Scottish Government have confirmed that this figure is incorrectly stated in the Regulations and that revised regulations will be issued to correct this figure to £37,548. Council previously agreed at the statutory meeting on 19 May 2022 that the Civic Head would receive remuneration at the maximum level prescribed in the Regulations applicable at that time. It is therefore proposed that the level set out in the revised 2025 Regulations will be applied.
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3.8 In respect of senior councillor allowances the Regulations provide that Renfrewshire Council can have a maximum of 14 Senior Councillors for remuneration purposes. This figure is unchanged from the previous position. However, a further restriction when allocating remuneration to Senior Councillors is that payment of Senior Councillors’ remuneration comes out of a sum of money, the amount of which is calculated using a formula set out in the Regulations. For Renfrewshire Council the formula now brings out an aggregate yearly amount payable of £444,705 available for the payment of remuneration for all Senior Councillors. The Council has flexibility to determine which positions should be considered “Senior Councillors” meriting the higher remuneration. At the Council meeting on 30 June 2022 the Council agree that 13 roles which would receive a senior councillor allowance. It is proposed that those roles remain and are paid the revised allowances detail in the Appendix to this report. There is an existing delegation to the Director of Finance and Resources to apply the same percentage increase in remuneration for Senior Councillors as that applied by regulations to the basic rate of Councillors’ remuneration in future years. 3.9 The Scottish Government have also confirmed that there was an omission from the Regulations in that they have not revised the figures payable to conveners and vice-conveners of joint boards such as Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board. They have advised that further regulations setting these fixed payments will be issued in due course. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The report sets out the revised councillor allowances provided for in the revised Regulations referenced in the report. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none. 3. Community/Council Planning – none. 4. Legal – The Council is statutorily required to put in place appropriate arrangements for the remuneration of its elected members, including the appointment of the Leader of the Council, Civic Head and various Senior Councillors as deemed appropriate. 5. Property/Assets – none. 6. Information Technology – none. 7. Equality & Human Rights - none 8. Health & Safety – none. 9. Procurement – none.
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10. Risk – none. 11. Privacy Impact - none 12. Climate Risk - none 13. Cosla Policy Position – none. 14. Children’s Rights – none _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers: Report to Council 19 May 2022: Remuneration, Expenses and Pensions for Elected Members Report to Council 30 June 2022: Governance Arrangements ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Mark Conaghan Head of Corporate Governance 0141 618 7177 mark.conaghan@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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Appendix Proposed Revised Remuneration of Senior Councillors That elected members holding the following positions be remunerated as Senior Councillors, with renumeration as detailed: • Conveners of the following 6 Policy Boards: Education and Children’s Services Infrastructure, Land and Environment; Finance Resources and Customer Services Communities and Housing Economy and Regeneration Planning and Climate Change (£36,885) • Conveners of the following 4 Regulatory Boards: Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Appeals Board Regulatory Functions Board Licensing Board (£29,924) • Chair/Vice Chair of the Renfrewshire Integrated Joint Board (£36,885) • The Chair of OneRen (£36,885) • The Leader of the largest Opposition Group (£29,924)