Council chiefs have signed off additional rewards for non-executive directors at two of the authority's companies.

Cheshire West and Chester's cabinet member for finance and legal Cllr Carol Gahan has rubber-stamped an increase in remuneration for non-executive directors at Brio Leisure and Cheshire West Recycling (CWR).

The move will see a total pot of £1,486 distributed evenly among the NEDs at Brio, and £1,710 divided up between those at CWR.

A non-executive director (NED) works part time and is not involved in the day-to-day running of an organisation.

They are usually business people or those with standing in a given sector who provide professional oversight and strategic advice, as well as scrutinise boardroom decisions.

Brio and CWR are council companies and were established in 2011 and 2020, respectively. The former operates leisure health and well-being services, while CWR operates waste collection and kerbside recycling.

For Brio, the remuneration of NEDs, excluding the chair, is currently £6,635 a year. The chairperson gets £13,270. 

For CWR, the remuneration of NEDs excluding the chair is £6,000 per annum. CWR has also appointed two employee directors to the board who receive £3,000 a year on top of their salary. The chairperson receives £12,000.

The term 'remuneration' is broader than 'pay' or 'salary' and generally speaking can also include things like bonuses and perks.

A report to Cllr Gahan said: "Non-executive directors play a crucial role on the board of council-owned companies, offering independent oversight and strategic guidance.

"The proposed uplift reflects the continued strategic contribution of the NEDs from both companies in supporting delivery of each company's strategic objective and ensures remuneration is in line with public and private sector comparable companies."

The report added that the council recently undertook a review of both companies which concluded that both had achieved a number of 'strategically important outcomes' and deliver 'good value for money' for the council.