1. Definitions

In this scheme

• ‘Approved duty’ and ‘committee member’ are as defined in the Local Government (Payments to Councillors) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012.
• ‘Department’ means the Department for Communities;
• ‘Guidance’ means the Department for Communities Councillors’ Allowances Guidance for District Councils in Northern Ireland, issued in February 2015; and
• ‘Regulations’   means  the   Local   Government   (Payments   to   Councillors) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012.

2. Commencement Date

This scheme of allowances shall be operational from 1 April 2018.

3. Basic Allowance

3.1 An annual basic allowance of £14,485 shall be paid to each councillor. Where applicable this will be paid pro-rata.

3.2 No council may pay more than one basic allowance to a councillor.

3.3 Basic allowance is intended to recognise the full time commitment of councillors, including such inevitable calls on their time as meetings with officers and constituents.

3.4 The basic allowance is intended to cover incidental costs incurred by councillors in their official capacity, such as the use of their homes, office consumables and cost of mobile phone calls.

4. Special Responsibility Allowance

4.1 A special responsibility allowance shall be paid to those councillors who hold the special responsibilities specified in Schedule 1.

4.2 The amount of allowance shall be the amount specified against that special responsibility in the Schedule. The allowance is only payable whilst the councillor is carrying out that duty.

4.3 At any time, only one special responsibility allowance will be paid to a councillor.

5.1 An allowance of £612 per month will be payable to the Mayor of the council.

5.2 An allowance of £510 per month will be payable to the Deputy Mayor of the council.

5.3 The Department advises that any Mayor/Deputy Mayor Allowance should be considered totally separate from SRA arrangements.

6. Dependants’ Carers’ Allowance

6.1 Councillors are entitled to claim a dependants’ carers’ allowance towards reimbursement of actual reasonable costs necessarily incurred in providing care for an eligible dependant, while carrying out an approved duty.

6.2 The allowance may be paid for a dependant who requires full-time care and who resides with the councillor as part of that household.

6.3  A dependant is defined as:

• a child under 16 years old;
• a child 16 years old or more, where there is medical or social work evidence that full-time care is required;
• an adult with a recognised physical or mental disability where there is medical or social work evidence that full-time care is required; or
• an elderly relative requiring full-time care.

6.4 For the purposes of this allowance, a carer is defined as a responsible person over 16 years old who does not normally live with the councillor as part of that household; and is not a parent/guardian of the dependant child.

6.5 A specialist carer is defined as a qualified person who is needed where it is essential to have professional assistance. In these circumstances a receipt must be attached to the claim.

6.6 A dependants’ carers’ allowance shall be payable based upon actual receipted costs or at the appropriate hourly rate, whichever is the lower; up to the monthly maximum.

6.6 The hourly rate of dependants’ carers’ allowance for standard care shall be £8.75, and for specialised care £15.00. The monthly maximum for standard care payable is £390, and the monthly maximum for specialised care is £780. Councillors may claim only one dependants’ carers’ allowance in respect of each occurrence of approved duty. Only one dependants’ carers’ allowance rate is payable even if there are 2 or more children/dependants being cared for.

7.1 A councillor or committee member shall be entitled to claim travel and subsistence allowances where expenditure on travelling or subsistence has been necessarily incurred in connection with an approved duty as specified in Schedule 2. The amount claimed should not exceed expense incurred.

7.2 The maximum rates of travel and subsistence are determined by the Department following consultation with the Northern Ireland Joint Council for Local Government Services.

7.3 The rates of travel allowance for travel by private vehicle shall be as shown in the table below.

*For mileage above 8,500 miles

**For mileage above 10,000 miles

8. General

8.1 This scheme may be revoked or amended at any time.

8.2 The amounts stated in paragraph 6 will be subject to any increase to the minimum wage for 21+.

9. Claims and Payment

9.1 Payments regarding basic allowance and special responsibility allowance shall be made monthly three clear banking days before month end.

9.2 Claims for dependants’ carers’ allowance, travelling allowance or subsistence allowance should be made in writing within three months, and should be accompanied by receipts, where appropriate.

9.3 This Scheme of Allowances should be read in conjunction with Local Government Circular LG 03/2017 Councillors’ Allowance Guidance which contains details on the applicable criteria for awarding each allowance.

10.1 The Scheme of Allowances Payable to Councillors will be subject to revision and review in accordance with any Departmental Circulars issued throughout the year.

The following table provides details of the council’s duties which attract a Special Responsibility Allowance and the associated allowance amount.

In accordance with Regulations, only the following are specified as the duties in respect of which basic allowance, dependants’ carers’ allowances, and travel and subsistence allowances are available.

1. attendance at a meeting of the council;
2. attendance at a meeting of a committee of the council;
3. attendance at a meeting of a sub-committee of the council;
4. attendance at a meeting of a joint committee;
5. attendance at a meeting of a sub-committee of a joint committee;
6. attendance at a meeting of a group committee established under the provisions of the Local Government (Employment of Group Building Control Staff) (Northern Ireland) 1994 or the Local Government (Employment of Group Environmental Health Staff) Order (Northern Ireland) 1994; or
7. the doing of anything approved by a council or anything of a class so approved, for the purpose of, or in connection with, the discharge of the functions of the council, or any of its committees or sub-committees, or as the case may be, of the joint committee or any of its sub-committees.

A site visit is excluded from the list of approved duties and a site visit is defined as a visit made by a councillor in connection with an application for planning permission:

• which has been referred to a council for consultation under Article 15(a) of the Planning (General Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 1993; or

• at the request of the applicant for that planning permission, or the agent of an applicant, or at the request of an objector to that application.