Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee: Review of Remuneration Arrangements for Local Authority Councillors

2.1 The following allowances should be abolished:

Basic allowances (recommendation 1: p 5)
Special Responsibility Allowances (recommendation 1: p 5)
Civic allowances (recommendation 16: p 29)
Day subsistence allowances (recommendation 18: p 29)
Overnight subsistence allowances (recommendation 18: p 29)

2.2 The new remuneration package should comprise:

A salary for basic councillors set nationally (recommendations 2 & 3: pp 6 &12)
Higher salaries for council leaders set nationally (recommendation 4: p 16)
Higher salaries for a specified number of senior councillors, set by councils within a national framework (recommendation 5: p 19)
Separate arrangements for senior positions on joint boards (recommendations 6 & 7: p 21)
A mandatory role description and personal development plan for all councillors (recommendation 8: p 23)
New powers for the Standards Commission in respect of councillors' remuneration (recommendation 9: p 23)
Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme if a councillor wishes (recommendations 10 &11: pp 25)
Reimbursement of receipted expenses necessarily incurred (recommendations 12-21: pp 27-30)
The statutory severance scheme for councillors choosing to stand down at the next election (recommendations 22-24: pp 33-34)
Arrangements which are subject to future reviews (recommendations 25 & 26: p 41)

The Scottish Government