Sheffield City Council Non-executive Elected Member Workload ============================================================ J.G.Harston - 11-Jun-2007 This is a comparison of work done by non-executive elected members based on the number of major council bodies they sit on. All elected members are paid a base allowance. Some members are paid an additional allowance for specific posts such as chairs of major bodies, opposition spokespeople and cabinet assistants. An implicit assumption that arises out of paying all members the same base allowance is that all members perform work of the same value to the council for the work they do other than for those posts with a specific additional payment. For this comparision, the major council bodies are those where chairing it receives a additional payment, viz: Statutory Boards and Scrutiny Boards. Statutory Boards (eg Planning) perform the important quasi-legal functions of the council, and the Scrutiny Boards examine the executive. All members are a member of an Area Panel that covers their ward by virtue of them being elected members, so all members do start from a base membership of one other body. Elected Members Membership of Council Bodies, all Political Groups ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bodies Number 3 : 3 *** 2+Chair/SA : 6 ****** 2 : 6 ****** 1+Chair/SA : 11 *********** 1+Deputy+OppSpokes : 1 * 1+Deputy/OppSpokes : 7 ******* 1+OppLeader : 1 * 1 : 27 *************************** 0+Chair/SA : 4 **** 0+Deputy+SA : 1 * 0+Deputy+OppSpokes : 1 * 0+Deputy/OppSpokes : 3 *** 0 : 5 ***** Posts such as Chairs, etc. receive an additional payment, so the following table shows workload that by implication is paid for by the base allowance that all councillors receive, not that work that by implication is paid for by the additional allowances. Elected Members Membership of Council Bodies, all Political Groups ------------------------------------------------------------------ Bodies Number 3 : 3 *** 2 : 12 ************ 1 : 47 *********************************************** 0 : 14 ************** This table shows that there are 12 members whose work is effectively valued at half the worth of 47 other members. There are three members whose work is effectively valued at a third the worth of 47 other members. There are 14 members who effectively get paid for providing nothing of value to the council by the measure used in this comparison.