Hi All,
I have just come into the role of Mayors PA and We are currently doing a review of our Mayoral Allowances and was wondering if you can help with the below.
Thank you so much in advance!
Nav Hasan
Hello Nav and welcome to the Civic Office and NACO. I’ve taken an extract from our Civic Handbook (North East Lincolnshire) which sets out our remit for expenses:
6.1 The Mayor’s allowance is paid monthly. Elements of the allowance may be taxable. It is important therefore to keep records and receipts of expenditure.
6.2 Advice is available from the Council’s Section 151 Officer and tax liability may vary between individual Mayors. The Mayor is still entitled to claim Members’ Allowances.
6.3 As a general guide the allowances pay for:
Clothing - taxable
Partner’s Clothing - taxable
Donations to charities - taxable
Contributions to collections and support of local groups
Purchase of raffle tickets, flag days, etc
Personal hospitality
Any other events as agreed with the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council
6.4 Clothing will of course depend on the individual, however, this will probably include a dinner jacket and dress shirt for male Mayor and also for the Consort of a female Mayor. There are still some dinners / formal occasions when formal evening wear is required.
6.5 A male Mayor will need to purchase a dark lounge suit for some more formal occasions which take place during the daytime.
6.6 A female Mayor may wish to purchase a range of dresses and suits / blouses which can be interchanged. The allowance can be used to meet the cost of hairdressing.
6.7 The Mayor will receive many requests for support and donations throughout the year. Obviously there will be some organisations that he / she will wish to support rather than others. The amount given is discretionary, however, one thing to take into consideration is the need to avoid committing future Mayors to a financial obligation which they may not wish to continue. Advice on this aspect should be sought from the Registrars and Civic Services Team Manager.
I have no doubt this will vary greatly between authorities and our mayoral allowance is £8,500 per year and has been since 2017 with £500 per year paid to the Deputy Mayor. It is considered in line with all other councillors expenses by Remuneration Panel
Tracy
Hi our Civic Mayor receives a Civic Mayor’s Chairman’s Allowances paid through the Members’ Allowances Scheme of £3,891 for Chairing Council meetings plus they can claim travel and subsistence for attending civic events - this is uplifted in line with the Local Government pay award each year
48 Members Allowances 2022 2023.doc (77 KB) plus.
Civic Mayor Personal Allowance (this remains the same)
The Civic Mayor will also receive a Civic Mayor’s Personal Allowance allocated in the sum of £3,096 per annum which is paid in monthly instalments throughout the term of office. This allowance is to help cover additional costs associated with the role of Civic Mayor, for example, the following:
a) Additional appropriate clothing in direct relation to the role of Civic Mayor and/or Consort/Escort.
b) Travel incurred on formal Civic Mayoral visits which take place outside of the Torbay area.
c) Subsistence and/or other reasonable expenses incurred on formal Civic Mayoral visits which take place outside the Torbay area.
d) Any reasonable accommodation expenses which have not been agreed to be met by the Council for the Civic Mayor’s attendance at civic events outside the Torbay area.
e) Appropriate donations to registered charities only.
f) Donations to appropriate monetary collections at events.
g) Purchase of raffle tickets for charity.
h) Personal hospitality in the role of Civic Mayor (including lunches and dinners).
i) One-off events held by the Civic Mayor.
j) Past Consort’s badge or other gift.
many thanks Teresa, Torbay Council