Agenda item

The Committee received the updated Pay Policy Statement for the 2024/25 financial year, which set out the Council’s pay policy for senior staff and how it related to the salaries of the lowest paid staff.  Local authorities were required to prepare and publish such a policy by the Localism Act 2011 and the Committee was asked to review the document and recommend it to full Council for formal approval.

The Associate Director, Human Resources summarised the policy and highlighted the material alternations and additional information from the current year’s policy.  When the nationally negotiated cost of living award for 2024/25 was agreed the pay scales would be updated and implemented accordingly.  The Council was compliant with its obligations to pay the National Living Wage (NLW).  The lowest hourly rate paid by the Council was £11.59 and the NLW for those 21 and over was £11.44.

Section 2.2 of the policy, which detailed the posts that reported to Executive Directors or the Chief Executive, had not included the costs of interim staff covering two of the director posts.  The Committee was informed that that the cost to the Council for the Director of Property and Estates Management was £900 per day and for the Director of Housing the cost was £865 per day.  It was noted that the amounts disclosed for interim rates were the costs incurred by the Council to secure the individuals services not the amounts individuals actually received which would be a lower sum.

The main changes to the policy were summarised and included an additional wording the sections on professional subscriptions, market supplements, interims and gender pay gap reporting.

Members asked a number of questions about the revised policy including about the length of time that staff could act up into a higher graded position.  It was responded that there was no specific time limit as the circumstances when acting up opportunities arose varied widely such as maternity cover, sickness absence or covering a vacant post.  A Member highlighted that at the last meeting of the committee, Members had expressed concerns to the Chief Executive about the high number of vacancies amongst senior staff and the relatively high costs of interim cover, and asked about the progress made in recruiting to the new posts.  The Associate Director stated that a phased approach was being taken and that recruitment had started with the first appointments being made, including to the role of Director of Law and Governance / Monitoring Officer which would be reported to full Council later in January.  Interviews for several other posts were underway and advertisements for positions in the second tranche of recruitment had been placed.  The rolling programme of recruitment would last through to the end of March 2024.

At the conclusion of the discussion it was agreed to recommend the Pay Policy Statement 2024/25 to full Council for formal approval.

Resolved –

(a)  That the Pay Policy Statement 2024/25 be approved.

(b)  That the Pay Policy Statement 2024/25 be recommended to full Council for formal approval on 25^th January 2024.