Can the Chair allocate himself £600 chairmanship allowance

Question

we have had  the same Parish Council Chair for at least 10 years each year he is allocate (by himself and RFO) £600 chairs allowance he does not explain what this is spent on or provide receipts.  I have just recieved next weeks meetin mins and accounts and a cheques for £600 has been allocated to the chair at no time was this agreed by the council at no time in the last year or two has he performed any duties outside the meeting which may incur cost, in fact he has never been instructed to do anything outside the meeting by the council, when I have questioned this money I have been met by hostility from most of the other Councilors they say that this is how it has always been and they can spend the precept how they seem fit

Answer 1

It does sound as if you're up against it on this issue, without support from other councillors. It is lawful for a council to make an allowance to the chairman and it can be fixed as a lump sum regardless of actual expenditure. The authorisation cannot be assumed to roll over year after year, although if other councillors are prepared to support it, then forcing the council to vote on the matter would not alter the outcome. There could be a tax liability, but the chairman is not an employee, so any tax is the responsibility of the chairman, not the council.

Ten or fifteen years ago it was quite common for councils to have this kind of arrangement. It was often used for things like a civic dinner, with chairs of other councils in the area invited. My impression is that, in these straitened times, attitudes have changed. The council of which I am a member has moved away from providing a lump sum, and simply authorises the chairman to be reimbursed for expenses incurred on official duties. There hasn't been a civic dinner for some time.

Although you may not make much immediate progress, it does sound an issue that could be part of a "value for money" election platform when council elections come round!

Comments

Thanks for you excellent reply I knew that yet again he would get away with it sadly this man and his cronies have been creaming of our megre funds for years as the rest of the council was co-opted on to the council by the chair there seems little I can do about until the next election.

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Experience suggests that a public campaign for change can, if sustained, easily lead to councillor resignations. You can then demand a poll, although the parish will pay the cost. It all depends on how much interest there is from citizens - sadly, all too often, people grumble but don't want to say anything in public or stand as councillors.