Councillors and Council Officers
The Council
The Council is run by councillors, who are elected by the local community. Councillors are responsible for making decisions on behalf of the local community about local services and budgets, such as Council Tax. Each councillor represents a specific area and serves for a period of four years. The work of a councillor includes holding surgeries to help local people, supporting local organisations, campaigning on local issues, and developing links with all parts of the community.
Councillors are not paid a salary or wages, but they are entitled to allowances and expenses to cover some of the costs of carrying out their public duties. All councillors abide by a code of conduct, part of which requires them to declare any financial interests, gifts or hospitality that could influence any decisions they make.
The Leader
The Leader of the Council is Councillor Paul Bettison. The post of the Leader is elected by all members of the Council at annual Council meetings. The Leader chairs all meetings of the Council’s Executive (see below) and leads on policy development and implementation.
Executive
The Executive is a group responsible for the overall business of the council. The Executive comprises the Leader of the Council, who is the Chairperson, and seven other members appointed by the Leader. Each of the members of the Executive has a defined portfolio of responsibilities.
The decisions of the Executive are subject to scrutiny by a different group of councillors, who meet in overview and scrutiny committees and panels to check and monitor what the Executive does. The Council has established six policy and scrutiny committees/panels.
- Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Panel
- Children's Services and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Panel
- Environment, Culture and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel
- Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel
- Joint East Berkshire Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee
- Overview and Scrutiny Commission
Council Staff
Whilst the elected councillors provide the policies, paid employees (council officers) put them into practice. The Council employs 4081 staff; these include school teachers, social workers and staff responsible for a wide range of services benefitting the local community.
The Senior Management Team
The Senior Management Team is responsible for managing the activities of the Council staff and for advising councillors on the potential implications of political decisions.
By law, senior Council staff are not allowed to participate in any party political activity and are expected to advise and assist all councillors irrespective of their political affiliation.
The current Chief Executive is Timothy Wheadon, who was appointed in April 2003. The Chief Executive is the senior officer who leads and takes responsibility for the work of the paid staff of the Council. The role of Chief Executive is a full time appointment. Post holders are selected on merit, against objective criteria, following public advertisement. They are appointed by the whole Council.
As head of the paid service, the Chief Executive works closely with elected members to deliver:
Leadership: working with elected members to ensure strong and visible leadership and direction, encouraging and enabling managers to motivate and inspire their teams
Strategic Direction: ensuring all staff understand and adhere to the strategic aims of the organisation and follow the direction set by the elected members
Policy Advice: acting as the principal policy adviser to the elected members of the Council to lead the development of workable strategies which will deliver the political objectives set by the councillors
Partnerships: leading and developing strong partnerships across the local community to achieve improved outcomes and better public services for local people
Operational Management: overseeing financial and performance management, risk management, people management and change management within the council
Remuneration of Senior Management Team
The table below provides information about the remuneration of the Chief Executive. It also provides information about any additional payments he receives, such as reimbursement of business expenses or payment for running local elections. All managerial staff are subject to annual appraisal, and progression on the scale only happens if satisfactory progress is evidenced.
| Name | Position | Salary | Additional payments (for example, election fees as the Returning Officer) |
| Tim Wheadon | Chief Executive | £144,764 - £156,638 | The Returning Officer can claim a fee for their services in conducting an election. This amount will vary depending on the type of election and whether it is contested. Over the past six years this amount has varied from £97.50 to £2225. |
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) covers council employees and some councillors. The LGPS is a contributory scheme; employees contribute 5.5%-7.5% of their own salaries to the scheme. Employers' contributions to the LGPS vary depending upon how much is needed to ensure benefits under the Scheme are properly funded, and are set independently. The rules governing the pension scheme are contained in regulations made by Parliament. Further information about the scheme can be found on the Local Government Pension Scheme.
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