Issue - meetings

Pay Policy Statement 2021

Meeting: 15/04/2021 - Council (Item 7)

7 Pay Policy Statement 2021 (Employment & Staffing Committee - 15 March 2021) pdf icon PDF 221 KB

The Employment and Staffing Committee, at its meeting on 15 March 2021

 

RECOMMENDED THAT COUNCIL

 

Approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2021.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Council AGREED to:

 

Approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2021.

Minutes:

The Chair invited Councillor Henry Batchelor, Chair of the Employment and Staffing Committee, to present the report on the Pay Policy Statement 2021.

 

Councillor Henry Batchelor presented the report and moved the recommendation as set out.

 

Councillor John Williams seconded the motion to support the recommendation. He explained why the Council did not intend to seek accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation. Whilst the Council had regard to the Living Wage Foundation’s rate, it paid above this rate and encouraged other employers to do so. There were costs in seeking accreditation and there would be an effect on suppliers to the Council as it could discourage small to medium sized businesses from bidding for Council contracts.

 

Councillor Nigel Cathcart said he sympathised with the question which Dr Douglas de Lacey had asked, to award an equal increase in money rather than percentage of salary. He recognised that pay policy was a complex area and that the disparity gap was not as great as for some other employers. However this was an expensive area in which to live. He asked that the views of trade unions be taken into account.

 

Councillor Heather Williams agreed with Councillor Nigel Cathcart’s comments in that there was some way to go. She said when this report had been considered by the Employment and Staffing Committee it had received unanimous support. She agreed there was more that could be done to support employees in view of the high cost of living, but this was a first step and she supported the proposal.

 

Councillor Henry Batchelor said he agreed with the points which Councillor Nigel Cathcart had made, and supported the response given by Councillor John Williams to Dr Douglas de Lacey in that the Council would be looking at the pay gap between employees.

 

By affirmation, Council AGREED to:

 

Approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2021.


Meeting: 15/03/2021 - Employment and Staffing Committee (Item 4)

4 Pay Policy Statement 2021 pdf icon PDF 220 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of HR and Corporate Services introduced this item which advised the Committee to recommend the Annual Pay Policy to Council to ensure that the authority complies with the Localism Act 2011 by publishing the salaries of the highest paid officers and indicating how this relates to the lowest paid staff.

 

The Head of HR and Corporate Services explained that the Council’s pay grades had six different pay points within each grade. Approximately 30% of staff were on the top of their pay grades. Officers had regular one-to-ones with their manager, who would then report to HR on whether the officer should progress onto the higher pay grade. Only a few staff, who were eligible, were expected not to progress to the next pay grade. The Head of HR and Corporate Services confirmed that staff at the Council were not awarded bonus payments, although honorariums could be paid for specific work.

 

The Head of HR and Corporate Services explained that the agreement of the Policy had been delayed until the Government had confirmed that for a second year the gender pay gap would not need to be reported in March.

 

The Committee

 

Recommended that Council       Approve the Pay Policy Statement for 2021