Who gets the big jobs? How much are they paid? And how is it done?

My time as a councillor is over, and at a time of my own choosing. That puts me in a better frame of mind than those members who lost their seats at the hands of their own party, or the Ferry electorate. I wish them well.

It may seem harsh. but no-one has the right to stay in public office forever. It's important to let new people through. Back in 2008, Cllr Andy Dawson stepped aside as the SNP's housing spokesman and made space for me. In time I stepped aside, and John Alexander took over the role. If political groups are to avoid damaging internal conflicts, that's the way it has to work.

What happens in Dundee City Council now? Over the next few days and weeks some significant decisions will be made. There are powerful convenerships to be decided, and those positions carry salaries. There is a limited pot of money to be shared out between the senior councillors. The Leader's salary of roughly £34,000 is fixed by statute. The Administration then has to choose whether to give a lot to a small number of busy councillors, or share the money as widely as possible to top up the basic councillors' rate of £16,500.

Doing any of the major Convenerships properly involves a huge time commitment. Whoever gets those jobs will find it hard to work for any kind of normal employer, as there are so many daytime meetings, papers to read and people to see. Even with some extra cash from the "pot", Conveners on around £22,500 will still be earning much less than the median weekly wage. That means people who are retired, or have private incomes, or have no family commitments, are in the best position to take these busy jobs. In practice, many councillors work for MPs or MSPs who can be very flexible about working time. The Lord Provost, on just over £25,000, could spend every waking minute at meetings or at functions, leaving no time for any other paid work.

There are some other "pots". The Chair of the Tayside Valuation Joint Board gets about the same as a Committee Convener. That post could be filled by a councillor from Angus, Perth or Dundee. The Chair and Vice Chair of the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board also get paid. I was Vice Chair and the £3,000 or so which I received topped my councillor's pay up to just under £20,000 a year.

Councillors who sit on the Tayside Health Board get between £5,000 and £10,000 a year (the NHS accounts only show bands, not actual amounts). The Health Board is a big commitment and the fee is appropriate for anyone ready to put in a shift and attend their famously long meetings.

In case anyone should misunderstand, I'm not against these payments. If you believe in democracy, then elected office should be open to everyone, regardless of income. But now comes the hard part. Who gets the jobs?

At the last election it was fairly straightforward. The SNP had an overall majority and so the Group Leader and the Whip made suggestions, put them to the Group at a private meeting and most of them were accepted. Then the Council effectively rubber stamped them.

This time things are not so clear. It is very likely that the SNP will form the Administration, as there will be strong resistance within Labour to any pact with the Tories. If the SNP can do a deal with even one other councillor, Cllr Alexander and his group will get their way.

If, on the other hand, all the opposition councillors unite around a single position ... say Convener of Development Management, or Lord Provost, there could be difficulties for Cllr Alexander and his team.

One thing is mistily clear. All of these decisions will be made in private meetings. The Standing Orders of the Council forbid any debate over these positions. So the candidates for Neighbourhood Services will not be made to stand up at a public meeting of the council and say what they would do if elected, and why they would be good. Equally, they will not be subjected to forensic questioning by other councillors.

These rules were written at a time when there was no Freedom of Information Act and a strong culture of secrecy in council corridors. The only reasons for them are to get the meeting over swiftly, and avoid incompetent candidates exposing their inadequacies.When there are powerful, salaried positions at stake, the public should be able to see who they're getting.

For the nerdy folks like me who read these things, here are the actual rules covering the first meeting of the new Council ...

SO 33(1) In the filling of vacancies and making of appointments, the following provisions as to voting shall apply:- (a) Nominations for vacancies or appointments shall be moved and seconded without discussion and shall forthwith be put to the meeting. 

SO 8(3) For the avoidance of doubt the appointment of Conveners and Depute Conveners of the Standing Committees and representatives on outside bodies shall be dealt with as a single item of business, ie a block. 

SO 33(2) Vacancies and Appointments (Single Block Nominations) (2) In the case of appointments being made in terms of Standing Order 8(3), members shall vote for a single block nomination.

https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/standingorders6mar17.pdf