Record of Payments of Remuneration, Allowances and Expenses made by Argyll and Bute Council

Argyll and Bute Council is required to publish a record of the payments made to Councillors in terms of the The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (Remuneration) Regulations 2007 and The Local Government (Allowances and Expenses) (Scotland) Regulations 2007.

The Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 (Remuneration) Regulations 2007 as amended make provisions for the payment of prescribed levels of remuneration by local authorities to Councillors. The Local Government (Allowances and Expenses) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 as amended make provision for the payment by local authorities to Councillors of certain types of allowance and reimbursement of expenditure incurred on approved duties of such Councillors.

Remuneration and Expenses

The documents below set out the payments made for the period from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 and the previous 2 years. The amounts shown are not the amounts actually received by Councillors. Firstly, the Remuneration payments shown are gross figures which are then subject to tax and national insurance deductions. Secondly, other expense payments relate solely to the reimbursement of actual expenditure incurred by the councillor and are all backed up with receipts. Thirdly, the Council decided that it would be more effective to provide a broadband connection for each Councillor for council business related communication and telephone calls. No reimbursement has been made to Councillors in respect of such costs – these are all paid for directly by the Council on behalf of Councillors. These are included in the table this year reflecting revised guidance issued on such costs.

Training for the period 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013

With 2012 being an election year, there have been a considerable variety of training opportunities offered both to new and returning members by the Council, including a comprehensive induction program.  These opportunities were developed and presented to members based on a number of factors including; statutory training obligations (e.g. Licensing);   the Improvement Service Competency  Framework for elected member development; the past experience of this and other councils, and also the training needs as identified by the members themselves.

As in previous years, a significant amount of ongoing training opportunities have taken place on a devolved basis both at the various Area Meetings and via the  regular Local Community Planning Partnership meetings . An outline of the major topics covered and some of the supporting materials are available here.

In addition to the induction programme outlined below members have also been provided with  training in other  areas including further training on the IT systems within the council, subject specific briefings covering their particular areas of responsibility, members also have access to the councils e-learning systems should they wish to take advantage of this.  Members have also benefitted from less formal briefing sessions and presentations on a wide variety of topics at meetings e.g. on the work of partner agencies.