Meeting decends into chaos following a debate around councillor allowances.

A meeting of Newark and Sherwood District Council was adjourned on Tuesday evening (14 July) following a debate around councillor allowances.

The Full Council meeting was discussing a Notice of Motion titled “The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council and the 1 SRA Only Rule”, which was brought forward by Councillor Jack Kellas.

The motion proposed that councillors should receive no more than one role-specific allowance, known as a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA), regardless of how many qualifying roles they hold. The basic allowance received by all councillors would not be affected.

Special Responsibility Allowances are additional payments linked to certain responsibilities and roles within the council.

The motion followed previous discussions around the council’s allowances arrangements, including recommendations considered by the Independent Remuneration Panel.

It also related to allowances connected to the roles of Chairman and Vice Chairman. The current Chairman of Newark and Sherwood District Council is Councillor David Moore, with Councillor Debbie Darby serving as Vice Chair.

During the meeting, councillors debated the proposed change and discussed the current arrangements around allowances.

After the discussion, proceedings were adjourned, with the remaining items of business set to be considered when the meeting is reconvened.

Newark and Sherwood District Council said the meeting was adjourned “following a breakdown in proceedings”.

In a statement, the council said: “We are disappointed that the meeting ended in the way it did. We recognise the importance of respectful debate and appropriate conduct at public meetings. Unfortunately, this was not maintained during the meeting, and it was agreed that proceedings should be adjourned and reconvened at a later date.”

The council added that it remains committed to “high standards of conduct, transparency and democratic accountability” and said it would review what happened during the debate and consider the next procedural steps.

No decisions were taken on the remaining items on the agenda, which will be discussed when the meeting returns.

The meeting was publicly streamed by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Councillor Jack Kellas has been contacted for comment regarding the motion. Newark and Sherwood District Council has also been approached for further comment