Councillors are looking at making changes to the pay and allowances that they receive at a meeting on Thursday (15 July).
Members who split special responsibilities along the lines of a job share will also be able to share their financial allowances if the council agrees to the change.
A report to members of Brighton and Hove City Council said that they could job share if the move was “cost neutral”.
It follows a decision in November 2019 to allow members to split roles with special responsibilities such as the chairing of a council committee.
Since then, the Greens have shared a number of key roles, including joint chairs and deputy chairs of some committees, while Labour has two councillors sharing the post of opposition leader.
The report includes recommendations from the council’s Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) which said that councillors should keep their access to subsidised car parking spaces and that co-opted committee members be permitted to claim an allowance.
The report to councillors said that the changes “in respect of job share roles will support younger members, working members and those with other responsibilities to undertake a position of responsibility”.
It added: “The proposal in relation to car parking will ensure ongoing accessibility for members who need to attend meetings and who may have mobility or other issues which are supported by access to car parking arrangements near by.
“The proposal for co-optees who attend council committee meetings in a personal and voluntary capacity to receive an allowance will assist in ensuring that invitees are not excluded from engaging in the role on financial grounds.”
The panel recommended that councillors who share a role should receive 50 per cent of the allowance – and those who have two roles could receive half of the allowance for each role.
No councillor is permitted to job share more than two roles.
Councillors with access to car parking spaces in Norton Road – opposite Hove Town Hall – and in The Lanes – close to Brighton Town Hall – look likely to have to pay £22.60 a month for their use.
The arrangement has been the source of a long-running division between the three political parties on the council – the Greens, Labour and the Conservatives.
Co-optees and “standing invitees” woukd be paid an allowance of £500 a year for attending between six to seven meetings a year.
There are currently standing invitees representing the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities on two committees.
The council also plans to ask non-voting co-optees to represent other groups, such as people with disabilities, on two other committees.
Decisions about the recommendations are due to be made at a meeting of the full council at Hove Town Hall on Thursday (15 July). The meeting is scheduled to start at 4.30pm and be webcast on the council’s website.
Councillors, who are deemed to be part-time, will not be voting to change the amount of their basic allowance – £13,359.60 for the past financial year – or the differing sums for varying extra responsibilities.
In 2020-21 the Green leader of the council, Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, received the highest special responsibility allowance – £26,629.39 – which, added to his basic allowance, made almost £40,000.
By contrast, the full-time chief executive Geoff Raw was paid £182,860 in 2019-20, according to the council’s most recent “statement of accounts”.
