Members Allowances (Payments)

Policy For the Payment of Mandatory Allownaces & Scheme for the Payment of Attendance Allowance to Members of Llandwrog Community Council 

1     Introduction - 

1.1     The Welsh Independent Panel Remuneration of Wales (IPRW), under the requirements of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 (as amended), annually, sets out mandatory and discretionary payments to Community Councils. Copies of the Panel's annual reports are available on the Welsh Government website            

The Members' Allowances Independent Panel has made it compulsory to pay a contribution towards the costs and expenses of Community Council members in Groups 1 to 5. Receipts are not required for these payments. Llandwrog Community Council is in Group 4 (Constituency 1,000 to 4,999) which means the following payments can be considered-

•  Payment of additional costs - Compulsory for all members
• Consumables refund – Compulsory for all members
• Senior role: Optional: up to a maximum of £500 for three members (in addition to expenses allowance and goods allowance)
• Chairman : Optional: up to a maximum of £1,500 (in addition to expenses allowance and goods allowance)
• Vice-chairman: Optional: up to a maximum of £500 (in addition to expenses allowance and goods allowance)
• Attendance allowance: Optional up to a maximum of £30 for each meeting
• Financial loss: Optional
• Travel and subsistence: Optional
• Care or personal assistance costs Compulsory 

It is a matter for each Council to make and record a policy decision in relation to when and how the payments are made and whether they are paid monthly, annually or otherwise. The policy should also state whether and how to recover any payments made to a member who leaves or changes their role during the financial year. 

1.2   Reimbursement for the additional costs of working from home

The Community Council must pay its members £156 per year (equivalent to £3 per week) towards additional expenses that the household will have to pay (including heat, light, energy, and broadband) from result of working from home. 

1.3   Refund for consumables

Councils must either pay their members £52 a year (equivalent to £1 per week) for the cost of office supplies needed to fulfill their role, or else councils must enable members to claim a full refund for the cost of their office supplies. 

1.4   Compliance

The Community Council must publish a Statement of Payments by 30 September each year. This document sets out all the payments to elected members in the previous year of the Council.  

2    Llandwrog Community Council Payments –  

2.1   Compulsory Allowances 

In accordance with the 2023/24 guidelines of the IPRW, each member is paid £3 per week (£156 per year). The payment is statutory.

A member can refuse the payment but must do so in writing to the Clerk. The payment is made to the member's bank account. Payment will be made by bank transfer only

The payment will made half yearly in areears (September and March)

If a member resigns having received the allowance then the Council will recover the payment from the 1st of the month following the date of resignation 

2.2     Additional Allowance - consumables reimbursement (effective 1/4/23)

In accordance with the 2023/24 guidelines of the IPRW each member is paid £1 per week (£52 per year) for expenses

The payment is statutory.

A member can refuse the payment but must do so in writing to the Clerk.

The payment is made to the member's bank account. Payment will be made by bank transfer only The payment will be made half yearly in arrears (September & March)

If a member resigns having received the allowance then the Council will recover the payment from the 1st of the month following the date of resignation  

2.3      Senior Role –            

Llandwrog Community Council does not  pay the Senior Role allowance  

2.4      Allowance for the Chairman            

Llandwrog Community Council does not pay an allowance to the Chairman  

2.5      Allowance for the Vice-chairman            

Llandwrog Community Council does not pay an allowance to the Vice-chairman  

3      Scheme for the Payment of Attendance Allowance to Members

3.1     The Independent Panel (IRPW) requires that, if a Council decides in favor of paying attendance allowances, it must draw up a plan to formally adopt it and make provision for it to be available to the public and the plan should specify which events payments are made for. As the IRPW Annual Report relates to each financial year it follows that the plan applies to each year. This is therefore the plan for 2023-24 to be formally adopted so that the Council can fulfill the requirements of the IRPW.

3.2      From 1 April 2022 Llandwrog Community Council pays an attendance allowance of £10 to each member. The allowance is paid for all meetings of the Council, specifically : full council meetings, special meetings, the annual general meeting, committees, working groups and panels.

3.3     The fee is reviewed annually (in the process of establishing the Council's budget annually.) taking into account the maximum that can be paid by the Panel (IPRW) which is currently £30 for each meeting  

3.4     Duration: this list will apply for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 or until decisions are otherwise amended 'in the year' by the IRPW.

3.5      Approved Duty: for the purpose of Attendance Allowance, approved duty means all formal meetings of the Council or Committees or Working Groups or Panels for those members of the council or committee or working groups or panels duly summoned to attend or are not properly called to attend (ie working groups and panels).  

3.6     Adjourned and Reconvened Meetings: attendance at a session of an adjourned meeting that is reconvened will count as an additional attendance session.  

3.7     Consecutive meetings: attendance at meetings that run consecutively or are separated by less than 60 minutes will count as one attendance.  

3.8      Meetings Without a Quorum: to avoid any doubt, if there is no quorum at a meeting, Members who are called and attended will receive the attendance allowance.  

3.9      Length of Attendance: attendance must be for most of the duration of the meeting (measured by time, and to include periods for declaring interests or comfort breaks or temporary suspension).

3.10   Personal or Remote Attendance: attendance whether in person or remotely will be treated equally.

3.11   Payment Arrangements: payment arrangements will be made by the Council's Responsible Finance Officer and Members will provide such details as are required in order to process payments, and are usually made half yearly in advance -payments.  

3.12   A member can refuse the payment but must do so in writing to the Clerk.  

3.13   The payment is made to the member's bank account. Payment will only be made via bank transfer

4   Travel and Subsistence

The Council will reimburse travel costs of 45p per mile for each member undertaking official duties on behalf of the Council. Such payments must be the actual costs of traveling on public transport or HMRC mileage allowances as set out below which are 45p per mile (April 2023). 

5    Care or personal assistance costs

Every town and community council must provide for the contribution towards the costs of care and personal support for a dependent under the age of 16, or a young person or adult who normally lives with the member as part of their family and who does not can be left unattended (provided by informal or formal carers). The purpose of this is to enable people with personal support needs or caring responsibilities to carry out their duties effectively as a member of an authority. Payments will only be made on production of receipts from the care provider.

Members, including co-opted members, should be entitled to reimbursement of their care costs, for activities which the individual Council has designated as official business or an approved duty which may involve appropriate and reasonable time for preparation and travel. It is up to the individual authorities to decide on specific arrangements to implement this; all authorities must ensure that any payments made are properly connected with official business or an approved duty

The Council will consider all applications as they arise 

Adopted by Full Council    

19 June 2023  Record reference 23-06-13 

Policy For the Payment of Mandatory Allownaces & Scheme (PDF)