SOUTH LAKELAND DISTRICT COUNCIL Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003

Notice is hereby given by South Lakeland District Council (the Council) pursuant to Regulation 16(1) of the Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 that following consideration of recommendations from an Independent Remuneration Panel the Council has resolved to amend its Members' Allowances Scheme with effect from 1 st April 2020.

The main features of the Independent Remuneration Panel's recommendations are as follows:-

? An increase up to a maximum of 2% on the Basic Allowance to bring it up to £4,201.14 per annum;



? Introduction of Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) for Members of the Planning Committee of £250.00 per year;



? No change to any other SRA;



? Other than the Group Leaders' Allowance, Councillors should receive no more than one SRA;



? Out of County Mileage Allowance to remain part of the single travel allowance scheme as per the previous year;



? Travel expenses to be in accordance with the maximum rates set by HMRC without attracting a tax charge (currently 45p per mile), this to apply to the first 150 miles of a return journey regardless of the destination and 25p per mile thereafter;



? Subsistence expenses to increase by RPI as at 1 st April 2020;



? No change to Childcare/Dependant Carers' Allowance. Payments to remain at a maximum allowance of £15 per hour. The Allowance to be paid from the time the recipient leaves home to time of return;



? Co-optees' Allowance be increased by up to a maximum of 2% to bring it up to £39.15 per meeting.



Details of the approved SRAs and Subsistence and Travel Expenses are set out below:-

Special Responsibility Allowances

£ p.a.

Leader of the Cabinet (with Portfolio)

12,120.00

Deputy Leader (with Portfolio)

7,171.00

Other Members of the Cabinet

6,060.00

Leader of the Opposition

1,863.00

Chairman of the Council

1,863.00

Chairman of Planning Committee

2,794.50

Chairman of the Audit, HR, Lake Administration and Overview and Scrutiny Committees

1,863.00

Chairman of the Licensing / Licensing Regulatory and Standards Committees

931.50

Group Leaders

(Number of Councillors in the Group at the preceding Annual Council meeting)

2-5

372.00

6-10

496.00

11 - 15

621.00

16-20

742.00

21 - 26

871.00

27

1,245.00

Members of the Shadow Cabinet (with the exception of the Leader of the Opposition)

505.00

Members of the Planning Committee

250.00

Subsistence Expenses

Period of Absence

4-8 hours

hours

£9.91

Over 8 but less than 12 hours

£14.17

Over 12 but less than 24 hours

£26.70

Overnight stay

Reasonable actual expense

Bed & Breakfast

Reasonable actual expense

Travel Expenses:-

Public Transport

Least amount of either the ordinary fare, standard class or cheapest fare for the journey.

Car mileage

The mileage rate for travel by car to be in accordance with the maximum rates set by HMRC without attracting a tax charge (currently 45p per mile) this to apply to the first 150 miles of a return journey regardless of the destination and 25p per mile thereafter.

Taxi

If unavoidable, full reimbursement of cost.

Bicycle and Motorcycle

Maximum rate set by HMRC without attracting a tax charge (currently £0.20 and £0.24 per mile respectively)

Incidental expenses e.g. car park charges

Reimbursed on production of receipt.

The rates for travel and subsistence expenses will be reviewed from 1st April 2020, travel in accordance with the rates issued by H.M. Revenue and Customs and subsistence in line with the increase in the Retail Price Index.

Copies of the amended Scheme are available for inspection by members of the public at South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4UQ during normal office hours (9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday) or on the Council's website at

12 March 2020 LINDA FISHER

Legal, Governance and Democracy Lead Specialist (Monitoring Officer)