Informed Councillor Allowance Reviews: Why Evidence-Based Decisions Matter 5f455k

What if the backbone of a well-functioning society isn't just its people, but its governance? me, Kirsty, as we continue our new series, Governance Matters, with a deep dive into the intricacies of allowances. Our special guest, Mark Palmer, the Director of Development and Governance at South East Employers, shares his insights on their critical role of independent remuneration s, which play a pivotal part in setting councillor allowances and ensuring ability across councils. With the advent of parental leave policies for councillors, our conversation highlights the evolving landscape of local governance. In our discussion, we emphasise the importance of recruiting a diverse Independent Remuneration (IRP) and share effective strategies for attracting a balanced mixture of representatives, especially from younger generations. Mark elaborates on how councils can efficiently manage the IRP process with elements like training , chairing the process and data analysis whilst exploring the offered by South East Employers. We also underscore the annual ' allowance survey—a key resource councils shouldn't ignore and encourage all councils in the region to participate in this initiative to be able to access this comprehensive and enlightening data. If you are a member of SEE and have any questions related to this episode, or any other Governance or HR issues facing your organisation, please get in touch at [email protected] And to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts – we have lots of great episodes coming up in the season 39q2i