Agenda item

REPORT OF THE CORPORATE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

RESOLVED:

(1)          That the Pay Policy Statement 2018/19, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be endorsed; and

(2)          That the Corporate Human Resources Manager, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be delegated authority to agree subsequent revisions to the Pay Policy Statement, such as subsequent pay awards agreed nationally and new legislative requirements, as outlined in Paragraph 3.8 of the Policy Statement at Appendix 1.

REASON FOR DECISION: To comply with the requirements of Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011, statutory guidance issued under Section 40 and the Local Government Transparency Codes 2014 and 2015.

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Lynda Needham) presented the report of the Corporate Human Resources Manager in respect of the Pay Policy Statement 2018/19.  The following appendix was submitted with the report:

Appendix 1 – North Herts District Council Draft Pay Policy Statement 2018/19.

The Leader of the Council advised that the Localism Act 2011 required the Council to approve, on an annual basis, a Pay Policy Statement. The suggested contents of the statement were set out in guidance issued under Section 40 of the Act, the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 and the Enterprise Act 2016.

The Leader of the Council explained that, whilst the guidance primarily required Councils to set out the policy in relation to senior pay, it was important to understand that NHDC‘s existing Pay Policy, adopted in 2004, did not differentiate between senior staff and others.  Thus, the existing and draft NHDC Pay Policy Statement went beyond that which was required to be published in accordance with paragraph 31 of the guidance.

The Leader of the Council stated that, since the adoption of the first Pay Policy Statement in March 2012, supplementary guidance had been issued by the Secretary of State and this was described further in paragraph 8.2 of the report.

The Leader of the Council commented that the Pay Policy Statement, along with other information on senior salaries (already published in accordance with the Accounts & Audit Regulations 2015 and the Local Government Transparency Code 2015), must be published as soon as reasonably practical on the Council’s website.

The Leader of the Council advised that the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 required, inter alia, the publication of the pay multiple between the highest earning and the median earnings of the whole of the workforce. The Council had, however, included this information in all of the previous Pay Policy Statements in the interests of transparency.

The Leader of the Council concluded by outlining the main changes from the 2017/18 Pay Policy Statement, as follows:

·           Pay Comparisons referred to in the Pay Policy Statement (Appendix 1, Paragraph 2.5);

·           Details of the pay offer for 2018/19 set out in the Pay Policy Statement (Appendix 1, Paragraph 2.6);

·           An update on the Public Sector Exit Payment Regulations 2016 (Appendix 1, Paragraphs 3.12 and 3.13); and

·           Proposed changes to the Council’s Senior Manager structure that were set to be implemented during the first quarter of 2018/19, set out in the Pay Policy Statement (Appendix 1, Paragraph 3.5).

It was moved by Councillor Lynda Needham, and seconded by Councillor Julian Cunningham, that the recommendations contained in the report be approved.

Upon the motion being put to the vote, it was

RESOLVED:

(1)          That the Pay Policy Statement 2018/19, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be endorsed; and

(2)          That the Corporate Human Resources Manager, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be delegated authority to agree subsequent revisions to the Pay Policy Statement, such as subsequent pay awards agreed nationally and new legislative requirements, as outlined in Paragraph 3.8 of the Policy Statement at Appendix 1.

REASON FOR DECISION: To comply with the requirements of Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011, statutory guidance issued under Section 40 and the Local Government Transparency Codes 2014 and 2015.