Paying members of the Residents Panel

We believe that when we ask people to share their experience and expertise, their work is as important and valuable as our team’s - everyone's input is needed to succeed. This means that, like our team, they are paid fairly for their work. By 'fairly' we mean:

  1. Paid at a fair rate and not being out of pocket

  2. Being paid quickly

  3. Paying in ways that work best for people

 

Payment rates

Taking part of this work will mean doing different activities that take different amounts of time. So, we will pay according to your input to make sure your work is properly recognised. We have used Scottish Government guidance to create our payment rates. For example, we will pay:

£50 for an hour of work - say, reading documents to discuss them as a group later. We'll pay more if it takes longer.

£90 if people join us for a two-hour activity.

£120 if they join us for a whole morning or afternoon.

Between £180 and £280 if they work with us for the whole day.

We understand that it’s not always clear about how payments might affect benefits. We can’t advise you ourselves but we can connect you to people who can. Please don’t assume that being paid might be a barrier - let’s explore it with you.

 

Paying Expenses

In addition to paying for your time and expertise, we will also cover costs that mean you can participate including childcare, transport and interpreters .

 

Paying quickly

We will pay by bank transfer, which is quick and secure, within 7 working days of agreeing the amount. We'll provide a record that the payment has been made, how much was received and what it covered.

 

Money or Vouchers

If a bank transfer isn't possible we can pay you using vouchers.

 

More than money

Money is important – to pay group members and provide support so that they can take part. Experience of being part of the group will also be important. Participants will meet and work with new people and learn new skills.

But we want you to gain even more. We want to invest in people as future community voices. This might mean taking a course or gaining experience with an organisation. We'll discover what this might be for each person as the group's work develops.