Agenda item

The Associate Director, Customer provided the Committee with an overview of the Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23.  Local authorities were required under the Localism Act 2011 to publish a statement covering matters such as the pay of the authority’s staff and Chief Officers.  The salary scales in the document were the current scales set for 2020/21, and did not yet include a pay award for 2021/22 as this had not yet been agreed at national level.  The Committee was asked to recommend approval of the Pay Policy Statement to Council.

(Councillor Gahir joined the meeting)

The Associate Director confirmed that the Council was committed to complying with the obligation to pay the National Living Wage.  Members raised questions on a number of issues including honoraria payments, market supplements, secondments and travel expenses. It was explained that honoraria payments were made in recognition of outstanding work over and above the normal scope of duties and was subject to approval by the relevant Executive Director, as well as Finance and HR. Market supplements were  paid in exceptional circumstances for critical or ‘hard to fill’ jobs and would each be subject to a benchmarking exercise.  Members asked for details of the number of market supplements in the next report. Secondments during Covid times had mainly been in the form of temporary re-deployment of staff according to need and maintaining essential services in response to Covid-19. On travel expenses, a member asked if these were on a par with other Borough Councils and it was confirmed that these followed nationally recognised rates.

Some Members raised questions and concerns over the structure and salary levels of senior level positions in the Council given the financial and governance issues the authority had identified in the past year.  The Committee was informed that the Council was working on a recovery, renewal and improvement plan which would review the future shape of the organisation, including the top tiers of management.  It was expected this plan would be in place by the end of May 2022.

(Councillor Qaseem joined the meeting)

A member asked if the Chief Executive was still being paid in full. The Associate Director confirmed that the Chief Executive was currently on sick leave and any payment made would be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the role.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the Committee agreed to recommend approval of the Pay Policy Statement to Council, subject to the incorporation of the final pay award into the pay scales when national agreement was reached.

Resolved –   That the Pay Policy Statement 2022/23, as appended to the report, be approved.