Agenda item

Updated Pay Policy Statement for 2023/2024 and Pay Policy Statement for 2024/2025

To seek approval for the updated Pay Policy Statement for 2023/2024 and approval of the Pay Policy Statement for 2024/2025 (report of the Chief Executive enclosed).

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report of the Chief Executive which sought approval for the updated Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24 and approval of the Pay Policy Statement for 2024/25.

 

The Portfolio Holder – Corporate, Governance and Communication presented the report.

 

The following points were raised:

 

·       Section 1.13 of the covering report referred to the introduction of performance related pay in relation to the Chief Executive – who assessed whether the required performance had been met?

  • The performance process was facilitated by a third party (East Midlands Council and the LGA), with the involvement of the leaders at all three Partnership authorities.  The decision on how implementation was undertaken was made by ELDC, in consultation with the leaders of all three of the Partnership authorities.

 

·       The appendices referred to redundancy, with payments based on the length of continuous local government service – if an employee was transferred or recruited to another local authority, would their service remain continuous?

  • Members were advised that length of service would be continuous, and that this was capped at 20 years.  If an individual was made redundant from an authority and then gained employment at another authority, their length of service would start at the beginning again.

 

·       Benchmarking was referred to within the report however there did not appear to be any benchmarking included within the report.  What was the rationale behind this?

  • Benchmarking was completed by PSPS in Q1, with SHDC being compared against other similar sized authorities, and recommendations were formulated.  These would have been considered by leaders prior to any pay award being given.

 

·       A request had been made earlier in the month with regard to further information around pay banding and to date, no response had been received – why was this information unavailable?

  • Member The Portfolio Holder advised that both documents (Appendices A and B) contained information regarding pay bands for Chief Officers (Chief Executive, Assistant Chief Executives and Assistant Directors), and that this information was also available on the website.  He had not been aware of the original request for information, or that no response had been received.  He suggested that members could also address any questions via the appropriate Portfolio Holder.

 

·       Members questioned why the report had not been considered at the last scheduled meeting of Council in February – why had a Special meeting been necessary?

  • Members were advised that there had been a large number of alignments of policies and work undertaken on Terms and Conditions, which had resulted in the delay.   Next year, work would be undertaken to ensure that the Pay Policy was considered alongside the Budget, at the same meeting.

 

·       Members questioned why they were being asked to approve the 2023/24 Pay Policy at such a late point during the year.

  • Members were advised that the 23/24 Pay Policy considered at Council in March 2023 had been retrospective, taking into account the changes and alignments due to the Partnership.  The decision had been taken to bring this forward again in order to change what had been a retrospective document to a forward-facing document.  The changes were detailed within section 1.13 of the covering report.

 

DECISION:

 

1)    That the updated Pay Policy Statement 2023/24, at Appendix A be approved;

 

2)    That the Pay Policy Statement 2024/25, at Appendix B, be approved.

 

Wording in bold and italics above are amendments made at the meeting of Annual Council on 15 May 2024.

Supporting documents: