Gordian Knots, Politicians and Independent Reviews
I acted as an independent adviser to Scottish Ministers as part of an independent review commissioned in 2005.
Our small group was charged with devising a completely new scheme of salaries and expenses for Scotland's elected councillors (1,000 in total) who oversee the delivery of services in 32 very different local councils.
SLARC (Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee) provided a comprehensive report to Scottish Ministers setting out proposals of a new scheme to pay local councillors proper salaries - to replace the old system which rewarded councillors for attending meetings (for some the more meetings the better).
SLARC's success was based on the fact that the committee was properly independent of the politicians - its members were all appointed after a proper recruitment process instead of being hand-picked by Scottish Ministers.
The bottom line is that SLARC delivered the goods even though two previous efforts to unravel the Gordian Knot, by the Sewell Commission and Kerley Report, failed to bring forward a workable scheme.
SLARC's key recommendations were accepted in full by Scottish Ministers and its scheme remains in place today though it's fair to say that in 2019 Glasgow City Council did have a lot of trouble understanding how to manage the rather extravagant expenses of its Civic Head who has now been replaced.
Anyway, the point about SLARC is that we met as a committee over the course of a full year in 2005 and organised a whole series of 'field visits' to councils around Scotland where we held private discussions with senior elected politicians and senior council officials.
SLARC called for evidence, considered written submissions, met with and debated the issues with representatives from national organisations such as COSLA (the umbrella body for Scotland's 32 local councils) and a wide range of other parties - before publishing its final report which Scottish Ministers endorsed in early 2006.
So how does this compare with the review into adult social care commissioned by the Health Minister, Jeane Freeman, who has already announced she will be standing down from frontline politics at the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections?
Well, we should know soon because while I haven't heard a thing about the review since it was established on 1 September 2020 it is due to report by the end of January 2021.
Councillor salary plan published The plan would see councillors receive just under £15,500 Scottish councillors could receive a basic salary of almost £15,500 under new plans for fixed salaries. It is proposed to replace the current allowances scheme with a basic nationally-set salary of £15,452. Salaries for council leaders would range from £30,905 to £51,508 - the highest going to those in Edinburgh and Glasgow, based on population. Pat Watters of local authority umbrella group Cosla said the proposed basic salary was "on the light side". The Scottish Executive will decide on the £5m package within a month. Basic allowance The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee's (SLARC) proposals would see about 62% of councillors receive the basic salary - a 9% rise on the current average income of local elected members. The new package includes a more rigorous system for expenses, with a greater reliance on receipts rather than flat rate allowances. Currently councillors are entitled to receive a basic allowance of up to £7,321 but this is boosted by a range of other payments.   There is no doubt that the current system of allowances for councillors is outdated and is in need of a complete overhaul  Ian Livingstone SLARC chairman The councillors would also be entitled to join local authority pension schemes under the plans. And one-off severance payments of up to £30,000 would also be available to councillors who choose to stand down before the 2007 elections when a new voting system is introduced. The payments - worth £1,000 for every year served up - would only be paid to councillors elected before 2003 and not contesting future local elections. Scotland's Finance Minister Tom McCabe is likely to make a ruling within the next four weeks. SLARC chairman Ian Livingstone said: "We have gathered evidence, conducted research and taken an objective view to propose arrangements which offer councillors a fair and reasonable rate for the job. Cosla has always argued that this package should be linked to that of MSPs Pat Watters Cosla president "There is no doubt that the current system of allowances for councillors is outdated and is in need of a complete overhaul." Councils will have to fund the new pay arrangements themselves. Mr Watters, the president of Cosla, said: "I obviously need to study the report in detail but my first reaction is that, in terms of basic salary, £15,452 is very much on the light side for a full-time, professional role. "Councillors make a crucial contribution to political life in Scotland as the elected representatives at the local level. As such they deserve a fair and appropriate remuneration package. "Cosla has always argued that this package should be linked to that of MSPs - both are democratically elected and have similar responsibilities in terms of responding to the needs of their constituents." |
