Proposals to restructure and reduce the number of portfolio holders from eight to six were agreed at a meeting of the Council last week – as was a new pay structure.

Cllr Iain Sinclair will take on the newly created Climate Change portfolio, while Cllr Paul Garner will handle Economic Development.

Health & Social Care will be held by Cllr Fiona Collie, with Cllr Laura Murtagh taking on Education & Leisure.

Cllr Gary Bouse will be the portfolio holder for Housing & Communities and Cllr Stacey Devine for Public Protection.

As well as carrying out their roles as individual members of the council, portfolio holders provide strategic and political leadership to the areas within their remit.

Pay

The Council does not set 'ordinary' councillors’ pay – which currently sits at £19,571 – nor the Council leader’s annual wage of £39,148 – these are fixed by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, it does have discretion over what it can pay other ‘senior’ councillor positions.

Funding for senior councillors pay has no impact on service budgets and the number of such posts is limited to 14 (not including the Leader or Provost).

At the meeting, it was agreed the Provost would be paid £29,361 and portfolio holders £26,235.

Conveners of Planning, Civic Licensing, and the Licensing Board as well as the Leader of the Labour group will each receive £23,514.

The leader of the Conservative group, Depute Provost, and Convener of Pensions will all now be paid £21,992.

Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of the Council, said the new pay structure aimed to be more inclusive and recognised the workload, leadership and responsibility that comes with the additional duties of each position.

She added that the changes to portfolios also meant other posts with significant levels of work could be recognised.

Committee conveners

The naming of portfolio holders and the agreement around pay follows the appointment of the Provost, Depute Provost, and Leader of the Council at the first meeting of the new Council on 25 May.

Nine committee conveners were also appointed at that meeting:

• Executive: Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn
• Education, Children and Young People Executive: Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn
• Audit Committee: Cllr Margaret Anslow
• Scrutiny Committee: Cllr Brian McCabe
• Scrutiny Committee (External): Cllr Claire Brown
• Appeals Committee: Cllr Gary Bouse
• Civic Licensing Committee: Cllr Euan Stainbank
• Pensions Committee: Cllr Lorna Binnie
• Planning Committee: Cllr Billy Buchanan