North Tyneside Council met to discuss a range of issues, including a motion to address the council's rising debt, and a report from the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) regarding members' allowances. Councillors also voted to confirm the appointment of Ms Jacqueline Laughton as the Authority's Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service).

Appointment of Chief Executive

The council voted to confirm the appointment of Ms Jacqueline Laughton as the Authority's Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service). Ms Laughton had been serving as Interim Chief Executive since January 2025, following the departure of Mr Paul Hanson¹. The Council Report 18 September 2025 - Appointment Chief Executive noted that an external recruitment exercise had been undertaken, and Ms Laughton was interviewed by the Appointments and Disciplinary Committee on 14 August 2025. The assessment process included psychometric leadership profiling, an evidence-based interview, a technical presentation, and a stakeholder engagement exercise. Stakeholders included representatives from Age UK², VODA³, and Tyne & Wear Fire & Rescue Service⁴. The Candidate Profile for Chief Executive 2025 highlighted Ms Laughton's 34 years of public sector experience, including executive leadership roles in local, regional, and central government.

Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel

The council considered the Report of the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP), which made several recommendations regarding members' allowances. The key recommendations included:

• Basic Allowance: Increasing the basic allowance for elected members for the 2026/27 municipal year in line with the median pay point of the 2025/26 annual pay award for employees working under the National Joint Council for Local Government Services National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service. The IRP recommended that this practice should continue for future years.
• Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs): Recommending that Cabinet members (other than the Deputy Mayor) should receive an SRA paid at 100% of the value of the members' basic allowance. The Deputy Mayor should be paid an allowance of 125% of the value of the members' basic allowance.
• Opposition Group Leaders: Recommending SRAs for leaders of formally established opposition groups, with the amount varying based on the group's representation on the council.
• Committee Chairs and Deputy Chairs: Recommending SRAs for the chairs and deputy chairs of various committees, with the amount varying based on the committee's responsibilities.
• Co-opted Members and Independent Persons: Recommending that the same annual increase applied to other allowances in the Members' Allowances Scheme should also be applied to these roles.
• Future IRP Reviews: Recommending that a major review of members' allowances should take place every fourth year, with lighter-touch reviews in the intervening years.

The Council Report 18 September 2025 - IRP - Final Draft noted that if the IRP's recommendations were agreed, it would increase the total value of members' allowances payable in 2026/27 by approximately £0.130m, requiring an additional £0.04m to account for the current pressure on the budget.

The IRP's report included several appendices providing supporting information, including:

• Information Considered by the Independent Remuneration Panel
• Comparison of Allowances paid to Elected Members in Local Authorities most geographically near to North Tyneside
• Comparison of Allowances paid to Elected Members in Local Authorities identified by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy as North Tyneside's 'Nearest Neighbours'
• Comparison of Allowances paid to Directly Elected Mayors
• Current Proposed Rates

Motion: Stop The Debt Spiral

Councillor L Bones proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor J Johnsson, expressing concern about the council's rising debt levels. The motion called for the Elected Mayor to bring forward a plan to reduce council borrowing and debt-related costs, commission an independent audit of nonessential spending, and add a standing item to the Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordination and Finance Committee (OSCFC) agenda for updates on the debt reduction plan.

The Motion and Legal Financial Implications document stated that there were no direct legal implications arising from the motion. However, it noted that any plan to reduce the level of debt could have significant impacts on the current budget and medium-term financial plan. The document also stated that commissioning a review would have financial implications, as there was no provision in the current approved budget for this.

Questions by Members of the Council

Several councillors submitted questions to the Elected Mayor. The questions covered a range of topics, including:

• The education of Year 11 students at Monkseaton High School who wished to enter Year 12.
• The council's approach to the national 'Operation Raise the Colours' campaign.
• The number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in North Tyneside being used to house illegal immigrants.
• Progress with Community Speedwatch in the borough.

Other Matters

The agenda also included:

• Apologies for absence.
• Declarations of interest.
• Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting.
• Chair's announcements.
• Elected Mayor's announcements.