Allowances

Governing bodies that have a delegated budget may, if they wish, pay allowances to governors and associate members of the governing body.

The DfES considered it is good practice for governing bodies to adopt a policy or scheme for paying such allowances, as governors should not be out of pocket for the valuable work they do. The scheme could be designed to reimburse governors for expenditure they have incurred in connection with their governance duties for:

care arrangements for a dependant relative (including child care costs)
telephone charges, photocopying, stationery etc
travel and subsistence

The above is not an exhaustive list. It should be noted, however, that it is not possible for allowances to be paid to cover loss of earnings or for attending meetings.

In 2005 the National Governors' Association issued guidance, which includes a model policy which governing bodies may find helpful:
Good practice in developing an allowances policy for governing bodies (pdf)