Agenda item

To consider a report of the Monitoring Officer regarding the role of Assistant to the Executive.

The Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) considered a report of the Monitoring Officer regarding the position of Assistant to the Executive (Item 5 in the Minute Book), seeking a recommendation of a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) for the position.

In presenting the report the County Council’s Head of Law and Governance confirmed the essence of the position of Assistant to the Executive, attached as Appendix 1 to these Minutes, is to help support and co-ordinate political engagement, and to provide political advice and support for the developing work of the County Council in respect to a specific remit appointed to by the Leader.  The IRP noted that the remit of this position might be time limited for specific issues or could, in the fullness of time, develop further, for example into an Executive position.

The IRP noted that the County Council continues to operate in a challenging environment and business agility is a key driver.  This position provides valuable additional capacity to the Executive to help meet those challenges through the provision of support and advice in relation to the political impacts and service delivery developments linked to the County Council’s extensive transformation programme.

The IRP further noted the announcement of the Leader at the County Council meeting on 18 July 2019 of a new position: Assistant to the Executive – Environment.  Following the County Council’s decision to declare a Climate Change Emergency, the Leader confirmed at an Extraordinary Meeting of the County Council on 23 September 2019 that the remit of this Assistant to the Executive would specifically be climate change and therefore confirmed the new position to be Assistant to the Executive – Climate Change.  To support the IRPs deliberations, the Director of Economy, Transport and Environment (ETE)  was invited to attend the meeting and expand on the specific remit of this position, which is attached as Appendix 2 to these Minutes, and to provide information about the success of the previous Assistant to the Executive positions that were attached to the ETE portfolio.

During the course of their deliberations, the IRP considered that the information set out in the report’s appendix provided a good base and that they were content that the information supplied by the Director of ETE provided sufficient detail as to the specific remit of the Assistant to the Executive – Climate Change for an SRA to be applied to the appointment.  Furthermore the IRP considered that each future appointment to the position of Assistant to the Executive should be supported by a statement about the specific remit of such position for consideration by the IRP for recommendation as to whether an SRA, in accordance with a) below, should apply to the position.

RESOLVED:

That it be a recommendation to the Employment in Hampshire County Council Committee

a)    that the IRP supported the proposal of a generic position of Assistant to the Executive and, subject to b) below, that an SRA of 25 per cent of an Executive Member SRA be applied to the Assistant to the Executive position

b)    that any future appointments to the position of Assistant to the Executive be based on the generic role and supported by a statement setting out the specific remit of the position for consideration by the IRP

c)    that the SRA at a) above be applied to the new post of Assistant to the Executive – Climate Change, backdated to the date of appointment (18 July 2019) and reviewed by the IRP in 12 months’ time

d)    that the list of approved duties for the purpose of the payment of travelling and other relevant expenses in the Members’ Allowances Scheme be amended to include provision of the position of Assistant to the Executive.