North Lincolnshire is divided into 17 electoral wards represented by 43 councillors. These wards have one, two or three council seats.

Following the local elections on 3 May and 14 June 2007 Labour is the largest party with 22 members, Conservative has 18 members, there are two individual Independent members and one Liberal Democrat.

Councillors are elected every four years and are democratically accountable to residents of their wards. The overriding duty of councillors is to the whole community but they have a special duty to their constituents, including those who did not vote for them.

Our elections pages have more details about how to become a councillor.

Councillors’ roles

Elected members have several roles. These include:

• Representing their constituents.
• Decision-making, either as a cabinet member or on the council.
• Membership of overview and scrutiny panels.
• Regulatory decisions, e.g. on planning and licensing.

All of these roles have involved major changes for members who have had to adapt to new ways of working and new practices. North Lincolnshire Council has managed to handle and introduce these changes very successfully.

To help its councillors and officers to carry out their roles, the council has recognised the importance of training. It has set up a series of training sessions for councillors and runs courses which officers and councillors can both attend.

Members' Allowances Scheme

All elected members serving on North Lincolnshire Council are entitled to claim allowances.  There are rules and standards that govern how much can be paid and in what circumstances.

The Council's approved members' allowances scheme for 2009/2010 is set out below.

	2009/2010
Group	Special responsibility allowance	Proposed new allowance in £
1	Leader of the Council	21,960
2	Deputy Leader of the Council	14,544
	Mayor	14,544
3	Cabinet Members (x 6)	12,546
	Chair of Planning Committee	12,546
	Chair of Licensing Committee	12,546
	Chair of Scrutiny Panels (x 4)	12,546
4	Secretary to Majority Group	12,546
	Leader of Minority Group	10,980
5	Chair of Audit Committee	7,320
	Deputy Mayor	7,320
	Deputy Leader of Minority Group	7,272
6	Vice Chair of Planning Committee	6,120
	Vice Chair of Licensing Committee	6,120
	Vice Chair of Scrutiny Panels (x 4)	6,120
	Secretary to Minority Group	6,273
	Lead Members (x 11)	6,120
	Appeals Committee	624 per annum
	Co-optees Allowance	42 per meeting attended
	Basic Allowance	7,638
	Dependants' Carers Allowance (including Child Care)	Allowance based on submitted receipts and use of a registered minder where required

(1)  Mileage Rates

 

Travel be paid at the following rate:

Motor vehicle	Not exceeding 999cc - 37.5p per mile Between 1000cc and 1199cc - 42.9p per mile Over 1200cc - 53.1p per mile
Motorcycles	Up to 49 cc - 12.4 per mile 50 cc to 125 cc - 18.8p per mile 126 cc to 250 cc - 27.0p per mile 251 cc to 500cc - 35.5. per mile 500 cc and above - 39.2 per mile

An additional 5p per mile can be claimed in respect of passengers carried to whom a travelling allowance would otherwise be paid.

A maximum of 10,000 miles has been set as eligible for claim.

 

In addition, the actual cost of tolls, ferries and parking fees may be claimed.   Receipts, must be provided. Discounted Humber Bridge tickets are available from the Political Group Offices and should be used.

 

(2)  Public Transport

 

If you are using public transport for journeys out of the council's area you may use standard class travel only.  Wherever possible travel arrangements should be pre-booked in advance in order to allow better access to discounts.  Only as a last resort should warrants for rail travel be used.  These can be obtained through the group office.  Receipts or used tickets (train tickets tube fare tickets etc) should be retained and produced as receipts.  The reimbursement of public transport costs is not taxable or subject  to NI contributions.

 

(3)  Hired Transport

 

If you wish to hire a vehicle, please contact your group PA who will ensure that the best possible rates are obtained.

 

(4)  Bicycle - 30p per mile.

 

(5)  Subsistence Rates

 

The following allowances may be claimed in accordance with the defined criteria.  Receipts need to be provided for expenditure in excess of these rates.

[Col 1 Row 1]	Criteria	Maximum rates
Lunch	More than four hours absence  including the whole of the period between 12pm and 2pm	£7.50
Dinner	More than four hours absence ending after 7pm	£9.25

(6)  Overnight rates

 

Actuals, claimed to a maximum of

 

London	£100.50
Elsewhere	£88.10
Out of pocket expenses	£4.39 per night
Overseas allowance	£20.50 per night

Accommodation should be pre booked by group office staff in order for the council to reclaim VAT and take advantage of discounts.

Members' expenses claimed for 2008/2009 

 

More information