Agenda item

Purpose: To recommend a draft pay policy statement to be published from 1^st April 2012.

The Committee considered a report (Agenda Item 4) concerning the Statutory Pay Policy Statement.

Jane Milone explained that, under s38 of the Localism Act 2011, all local authorities were required to publish a Pay Policy Statement for 2012 and that it must be approved by full Council. There was no appetite for a full review of the existing pay policy within the Authority at present, and  so it was proposed that the current pay structure for West Berkshire Council be published. Jane Milone also explained that there was a further requirement of The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency to publish details of the senior salaries within the organisation. These two requirements had been met by the draft Statutory Pay Policy Statement.

Councillor Quentin Webb questioned whether senior salaries needed to be identified by name or post. Jane Milone confirmed that the Code required that names were published.

Councillor Mollie Lock asked whether car allowances and bonuses were included. Jane Milone explained that bonuses were not paid to senior staff. Robert O’Reilly explained that some senior officers would still be eligible for essential car user allowances if they had been in post before November 2007, when automatic entitlement to car allowances on the basis of grade ceased.  Essential car users travelling in excess of 2500 business miles a year would continue to receive an allowance.

Jane Milone stated that the senior salaries would also be published in the Statement of Accounts.

With reference to Appendix A, Jane Milone explained that Management Board had requested that an additional column be added to include pension contributions paid by the employer. The Committee agreed to support this.

Councillor Tony Linden questioned the wording of the title of the table in Appendix A, as officers were included who would no longer be employed by West Berkshire Council after 1st April 2012. It was agreed that the wording should be amended.

Jane Milone further explained that the Transparency Code required the Council to publish the job descriptions and responsibilities for senior officers, so these had also been included in the report.

The Committee clarified that only the Pay Policy Statement (pages 13-24 of the meeting papers) would be published.

Councillor Adrian Edwards asked who had written the job purposes and it was explained that they had been written by Human Resources in consultation with the current officers.

Councillor Quentin Webb asked whether the ratios for pay of senior salaries against other staff were defined in the structure of pay. Jane Milone explained that the Localism Act and Code of Transparency required that the Authority state what its actual ratio was and what the ideal would be. The remit for the Hutton Fair Pay report stated that this ratio should not exceed 20:1. The current ratio between the highest paid and lowest paid officers was 11:1 and West Berkshire Council had stated that its ideal should not exceed 20:1.

Councillor Mollie Lock asked if officers would automatically receive an incremental pay rise regardless of their performance. Jane Milone explained that incremental rises were only available until staff had reached the top of their grade. Robert O’Reilly further explained that, should there be issues about an officer’s performance, the normal process would be suspended and capability proceedings would commence. In this situation incremental increases would also be suspended.

Councillor Tony Linden proposed that this document, subject to the agreed amendment of the introductory title of Appendix A, be recommended to full Council. This was seconded by Councillor Adrian Edwards.