Issue - meetings

[To approve the Pay Policy Statement 2022 -2023]

1.    That the Pay Policy Statement for 2022 – 2023 be approved.

2.    That the publication of the Pay Policy Statement in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 be approved.

3.    That it be noted, the national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives had now been agreed and the relevant pay scales would be amended to reflect the pay agreements. 

The Cabinet Member for Governance and Equalities, Councillor Paula Brookfield presented the report: Pay Policy Statement 2022-2023 for approval. She advised that the national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives had now been agreed and relevant pay scales would be amended to reflect the pay agreement. 

On Monday (28 February) the NJC pay agreement was confirmed which increased pay point 1 by 2.75% and pay point 2 and above by 1.75%. In early February a pay agreement was reached for Chief Executives and Chief Officers of 1.5%.  

As a consequence of the national pay agreements being reached the pay ratio’s detailed within the report had been reduced and should be amended as follows; the pay ratio between the highest and the lowest paid employees was now 9.28:1 (reducing from 9.39:1 within the report) and the pay ratio between the highest and the median pay was 6.19:1 (reducing from 6.20:1 within the report).  

The Cabinet Member for Governance and Equalities, Councillor Paula Brookfield proposed the recommendations and requested that the third and fourth noting recommendations to be deleted and replaced with ‘The national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives had now been agreed and the relevant pay scales would be amended to reflect the pay agreements.”   The Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Stephen Simkins seconded the recommendations.

Resolved:

1. That the Pay Policy Statement for 2022 – 2023 be approved.
2. That the publication of the Pay Policy Statement in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 be approved.
3. That it be noted, the national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives had now been agreed and the relevant pay scales would be amended to reflect the pay agreements.

[To approve the Pay Policy Statement 2022 -2023]

That Council be recommended to approve:

1.      The Pay Policy Statement for 2022 - 2023.

2.      The publication of the Pay Policy Statement in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011.

That Council be recommended to note:

1.      That the national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives had not been agreed, at the time of writing the Pay Policy Statement.

2.   That in the absence of the NJC having yet reached a pay agreement for 2021, SCPs 1 and 2 would fall below the statutory NLW. Organisations must therefore ensure that employees currently paid on those two pay points have their pay increased with effect from 1 April 2022 to £9.50 per hour. These updated figures would continue to be paid until NJC reaches a settlement on pay for 2021.

Councillor Paula Brookfield presented the Council’s Pay Policy Statement 2022-2023 for recommendation to Full Council for approval and publication in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011. She highlighted that the national pay award had not been agreed for 2021.  This meant that if no action were taken, Council employees on pay scale points 1 and 2 would fall below the National Living Wage. To remedy this, from 1 April 2022 the pay to employees currently paid on those two pay points would be increased to £9.50 per hour and amended after the national pay settlement had been agreed. Councillor Brookfield also reported that the Council had a target of renumeration between its chief officer pay in relation to its lowest earners of no more than 10:1. The current rate was 9.39: I.

Resolved:

That Council be recommended to approve:

1.      The Pay Policy Statement for 2022 - 2023.

2.      The publication of the Pay Policy Statement in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011.

That Council be recommended to note:

1.      That the national pay award for National Joint Council (NJC) and Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chief Officers and Chief Executives had not been agreed, at the time of writing the Pay Policy Statement.

2.   That in the absence of the NJC having yet reached a pay agreement for 2021, SCPs 1 and 2 would fall below the statutory NLW. Organisations must therefore ensure that employees currently paid on those two pay points have their pay increased with effect from 1 April 2022 to £9.50 per hour. These updated figures would continue to be paid until NJC reaches a settlement on pay for 2021.