Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:

That Canon Roger Driver be appointed Chair of the Panel for this meeting and for the remainder of the current Municipal Year.

An apology for absence was received from Mr. S. Dickson.

Members and Officers are requested to give notice of any personal or prejudicial interest and the nature of that interest, relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct.

No declarations of interest were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2011

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2011 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Director of Corporate Commissioning

Further to Minute No. 5 of the meeting held on 7 September 2011, the Panel considered the report of the Head of Governance and Civic Services that provided information to aid the Panel in formulating an objective review of the Members’ Allowance Scheme for 2012/13.

The report indicated that the previous meeting had requested various pieces of information to help with the review and attached as appendices to the report were the following documents:-

Appendix A -          Wirral MBC report of the Independent Panel on Members’ Allowances

Appendix B -          Comparison of Local Authority Allowances

Appendix C -          Members currently receiving SRA’s

Appendix D -Cabinet Portfolio responsibilities across Council functions and corresponding remit of Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Appendix E -Members’ attendance at meetings

Appendix F- Role descriptions/person specifications for Cabinet Members; Leader (and Deputy Leaders); Mayor of the Council; Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs; Overview and Scrutiny Committee Members; Elected Members; Chair of Regulatory Committee, Area Committee and Standards Committees; and Regulatory Committee, Area Committee and Standards Committee Members

Appendix G -National Census of Local Authority Councillors Executive Summary and the time spent on Council activities.

In addition, the Panel considered oral representations on the matter from the Liberal Democrat and Labour Party Group Leaders (Councillors Robertson and P. Dowd).

RESOLVED:

          That consideration of this matter be deferred until a further meeting of the Panel to be held (subject to all three members being able to attend), on Wednesday, 21 December 2011 at Bootle Town Hall, commencing at 10.15 a.m