Introduction

Lancashire Combined Fire Authority, in exercise of the powers conferred by the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003, hereby makes the following Scheme:

1.0 This Scheme shall have effect for the year commencing 1st April 2025 and subsequent years.

2.0 In this Scheme

“Authority” means Lancashire Combined Fire Authority. "Member" means a Member of the Combined Fire Authority who is an elected Member of one of the constituent Authorities. "Year" means the twelve months commencing 1st April. "Meetings" means a meeting of the Authority, its Committees or a body of Members formally established by the Authority or its Committees.

3.0 In this scheme, the total allowances shall consist of Basic Allowance, Special Responsibility Allowances and Co-optees’ Allowance. (For the avoidance of doubt, Attendance Allowance shall not be payable under this Scheme.)

3.1 These total allowances shall be index linked on an annual basis in line with the annual local government pay percentage increase at new spinal column point 43 (formerly point 49).

4.1 Subject to paragraph 7.0 below, an equal Basic Allowance shall be paid to every Member. The amount of Basic Allowance is detailed in paragraph 1.0 of Schedule 'A' of this Scheme.

4.2 This Basic Allowance is intended to recognise the time commitment expected of Members to enable them to carry out their duties effectively and to recognise that Members use their own homes and facilities in carrying out their work.

5.1 Subject to paragraph 7.0 below, each Member who holds a special responsibility as specified within this Scheme, will normally receive a Special Responsibility Allowance as detailed in paragraph 2.1 of Schedule 'A' of this Scheme in addition to the Basic Allowance.

6.0 A Member (including a co-opted Member) may elect to forego any part of his/her entitlement to an Allowance under this Scheme. Such election shall be in the form of a written notice delivered to the Treasurer to the Authority (Director of Corporate Services.)

7.0 The provisions of this section shall regulate the entitlements of a Member (including a Co-opted Member) to Allowances where, in the course of a year:

(a) The scheme is amended.

(b) A person becomes, or ceases to be, a Member.

(c) A Member accepts or relinquishes a special responsibility in respect of which a Special Responsibility Allowance is payable.

(d) A Member is suspended from the Authority.

7.1 If, during the year, the Scheme is amended and this results in a change to a Member’s entitlement to a Special Responsibility Allowance and/or Basic Allowance and/or Co-optees’ Allowance, the actual entitlement shall be based on:

(a) A proportion of the original annual Allowance based on the number of days up to the date of amendment plus;

(b) A proportion of the revised annual Allowance based on the number of days from the date of amendment.

7.2 When the term of office of a Member either begins and/or ends during the course of a year, the entitlement to a Basic/Co-optees’ Allowance shall be based on the number of days in office during that year. Similar pro rata entitlements will apply in situations where a Basic/Co-optees’ Allowance is amended under sub-paragraph 7.1 above.

7.3 Where a Member has special responsibilities (as defined within this Scheme) for part of a year, the entitlement to a Special Responsibility Allowance shall be based on the number of days during that year that the Member has held such special responsibilities. The entitlement shall be pro rata to a full year. Similar pro rata entitlement will apply in situations where Special Responsibility Allowances have been amended under sub-paragraph 7.1 above.

7.4 A member must not receive an allowance from any other authority for his/her duties as a Member of the Combined Fire Authority.

8.1 Members (including Co-opted Members) may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary travelling expenses by public transport (at Standard Class), including the actual and receipted cost of taxi fares, where appropriate, incurred in order to undertake Authority business.

If air travel is required, prior approval of the Clerk should be obtained. In all circumstances, Members should demonstrate where necessary they have sought best value costings in respect of all travel expenses incurred in order to avoid incurring a disproportionate and unreasonable cost for the Authority, in the best interests of the efficiency and efficacy of the Authority and the Service.

8.2 Where a Member (including a Co-opted Member) uses his/her own motor car/motor cycle or bicycle, an appropriate mileage rate may be claimed. These mileage rates are set out in Schedule ‘B’ of this Scheme.

9.1 Subsistence Allowances are payable where such expenditure has been actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of an approved duty (as defined in Schedule C) where a Member of the Authority or co-opted member is absent from their normal place of residence.

9.2 Where the nature of the duties being undertaken result in a Member being absent overnight from their usual place of residence, hotel accommodation will either be booked and paid for directly by the Authority or paid for by the Member and subsequently reimbursed based, on actual receipted expenditure. This reimbursement shall be subject to the maximum allowances detailed in paragraph 3.1 of Schedule ‘B’.

9.3 In the case of an absence from the usual place of residence an appropriate subsistence allowance may be claimed in accordance with the rates of allowances set out in Schedule ‘B’ of this Scheme.

9.4 Subsistence allowances are not normally subject to taxation. However, where these allowances are paid for a period of attendance at the place where the meetings of the Authority or Committee normally take place, such payments are subject to tax and national insurance.

9.5 When main meals (i.e. full breakfast, lunch or dinner) are taken on trains during a period for which there is entitlement to day subsistence, the actual cost of meals (based on receipted expenditure and including VAT) may be reimbursed in full, provided Members can again demonstrate best value when incurring subsistence costs.

9.6 A Councillor or co-opted Member submitting a claim for subsistence allowances should, wherever possible, demonstrate best value principles in the best interests of the efficiency and efficacy of the Service, and produce receipts to accompany their claim in respect of expenditure incurred.

10.1 Subject to section 7.0 above, an annual Co-optees’ Allowance shall be payable to the Independent Person(s) for attendance at meetings and conferences. The amount of this annual Allowance, which shall be the same for each Independent Person(s), is set out in paragraph 3.0 of Schedule ‘A’ of this Scheme.

11.1 Payments of Basic Allowance, Special Responsibility Allowance and Co-optees’ Allowance shall be made monthly in arrears by the last working day of each month. The monthly amount payable shall be one-twelfth of the annual allowance(s) specified in this Scheme and subject to paragraph 7.0 above. 4

11.2 Separately, individual claims for travel, subsistence and other incidental allowances shall be made on a monthly basis and be submitted to the Treasurer to the Authority as soon as possible at the end of each month. In particular, it should be noted that claims for allowances covering the period up to 31 March must be submitted to the Treasurer (Director of Corporate Services) by the end of May. Failure to submit these year-end claims within this time scale could result in claims for payment being rejected.

11.3 Each travel and subsistence claim shall be certified by the claiming Member that they have not made and will not make any other claim in respect of the matter to which the claim relates otherwise than under this Scheme.

11.4 Claims received by the Treasurer (Director of Corporate Services) on or before the 6th day of each month will be paid with that month's end payment of Basic/Special Responsibility Allowance(s). Claims received after the 6th day of the month will be paid with the following month end payment.

11.5 Any claims that are over three months old will only be considered under exceptional circumstances, such as when the delay is due to absence through sickness. Such claims may otherwise be rejected.

Basic Allowance

An annual Basic Allowance of £3,289.95 is payable to each Member.

Special Responsibility Allowance

2.1      The individual annual Allowances are as follows:

Co-optees’ Allowance for Independent Person(s)

An annual Co-optees’ Allowance of £1,107.79 is payable to each Independent Person.

1.0 Travel Allowance – Mileage Rate

1.1 The appropriate mileage rate for travel by a Member’s own motor car is 45p per mile in line with the Lancashire County Council’s rate and any future changes to the County Council’s rate will be mirrored by changes in the CFA’s rate.

1.2 The rate set out in 1.1 above may be increased by not more than the amount of any expenditure incurred on public transport, on tolls, ferries or parking fees, including overnight garaging.

1.3 The mileage rate for use of a bicycle is 20p per mile. This rate should be revised in accordance with the maximum allowance for Income Tax purposes as determined by HM Revenue and Customs.

2.0 Subsistence Allowances

2.1 Members may claim up to the maximum amounts of the following fixed allowances when absent for the period stated below from their normal place of residence; subject to costs being actually and necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties for and on behalf of the Authority:-

a) a period less than 4 hours - £8.67

b) a period between 4 and 8 hours - £17.24

c) a period between 8 and 12 hours - £34.50

d) a period in excess of 12 hours - £51.72

Actual expenditure in excess of £51.72 may be reimbursed subject to production of receipts.

These allowances shall be reviewed annually in line with the consumer price index as published in November of the preceding year. (As agreed at the CFA meeting held 20 June 2016.)

3.0 Overnight Allowance

3.1 Wherever possible, Members should organise their accommodation requirements through the Authority, which should be pre-booked and pre paid in advance.

In exceptional circumstances, where it is not possible for the Authority to make a direct booking on behalf of a Member, the actual receipted cost of accommodation, including breakfast will be reimbursed to the Member. 7 Such reimbursement will be subject to a maximum allowance per night of £198.14 for London and £172.51 elsewhere in the UK. These maximum allowances shall be reviewed annually in line with the consumer price index as published in November of the preceding year. (As agreed at the CFA meeting held 20 June 2016.)

Appropriate travel and subsistence allowances may be claimed in accordance with the above details where such travelling and / or subsistence has been undertaken in connection with one or more of the following duties:

(a) The attendance at a meeting of the Authority or of any Committee, Sub-Committee, Task Group, Working Group, Board, Forum, Panel or of any body to which the Authority makes appointments or nominations, or of any Committee or Sub-Committee of such a body.

(b) The attendance at any other meeting or event, the holding of which is authorised by the Authority, or a Committee or Sub-Committee of the Authority.

(c) For the purposes of paragraphs (a) and (b) above, claims for travel and subsistence can only be made in respect of attendance at meetings of which the Councillor claiming is a Member.

(d) The carrying out of any other duty approved by the Authority, or any duty of a class so approved, for the purpose of, or in connection with, the discharge of the functions of the Authority or any of its Committees or Sub-Committees. All duties which derive from a position of responsibility for which a Member receives a special responsibility allowance are approved duties for the purpose of this paragraph.

(e) Members should not assume that they have the Authority’s permission to attend any other meeting or event without the express permission of the Authority and permission should be sought in good time, prior to the meeting or event, in order to ensure contingency plans are in place, should the Authority not grant such permission. The Authority will be required to ensure that the proposed attendance is in the best interests of the Authority and its constitutional and legal obligations, as well as in the best interests of the efficiency, efficacy and betterment of the Service and the Authority.