Agenda item

To present the Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23.

The Committee was aware that the Localism Act 2011 (Section 38(1)) required Tendring District Council to prepare a pay policy statement each year. That pay policy statement was required to articulate the Council's approach to a range of issues relating to the pay of its workforce, particularly its senior staff (or 'chief officers') and its lowest paid employees.

The matters that had to be included in the statutory Pay Policy Statement were as follows:

“•     A local authority’s policy on the level and elements of remuneration for each Chief Officer.

•      A local authority’s policy on the remuneration of its lowest-paid employees (together with its definition of “lowest-paid employees” and its reasons for adopting that definition).

•      A local authority’s policy on the relationship between the remuneration of its Chief Officers and other Officers.

•      A local authority’s policy on other aspects of Chief Officers’ remuneration: remuneration on recruitment increases and additions to remuneration, use of performance related pay and bonuses, termination payments and transparency.”

The statement was also required to be published on the Council's website following each review and its approval by Full Council.

It was reported that the Pay Policy Statement 2022/23 had been designed to give an overview of the Council’s framework regarding pay and rewards for staff within the Council. The framework was based on the principle of fairness and that rewards should be proportional to the weight of each role and each individual’s performance. The framework aimed to ensure the ability of the Council to recruit talented individuals whilst ensuring value for money for the council taxpaying residents of Tendring.

Members were reminded that the Council had a statutory and contractual obligation to adopt the NJC pay spine and that the last agreed inflationary pay award of 2.75% (paid across the pay spine) had been awarded for 2020/21. Agreement had yet to be reached between National Employers and National Unions, regarding the Pay Award for 2021/22. On 19 October 2021, the National Employers had agreed by a majority to reaffirm their offer made to National Unions on 27 July 2021 as full and final.

The Committee was informed that the Conditions of Employment with Tendring District Council in the main conformed to those established for local government generally by the NJC, commonly known as the ‘Green Book’. Agreements reached by the NJC were ‘collective agreements’ and if they were incorporated into employees’ contracts of employment, then the changes took effect automatically.

It was reported that the Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23 provided updated information on the Council’s pay spine and remuneration arrangements. There was limited change reported in the 2022/23 Statement. The Pay Policy Statement for 2022/23 also included Gender Pay Gap Reporting figures, in line with the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.

A summary of the Council’s Gender Pay Gap figures was as follows:

Mean difference across Gender

The difference between the male and female mean hourly rate was £1.02. The male mean hourly rate was 7.7% higher than the female mean hourly rate.

Median difference across Gender

The difference between the male and female median hourly rate was £0.40. The female median hourly rate was 3.5% higher than the male median hourly rate.

UNISON had been consulted on those proposals and had confirmed its agreement as follows:-

“In my capacity as Unison Chairman, I have reviewed the Pay Policy 2022/23 and am happy for it to be adopted”.

Councillor Chapman asked a question pertaining to this matter which was responded to by the Assistant Director (Partnerships).

Following discussion it was moved by Councillor Griffiths, seconded by Councillor Chittock and:-

RESOLVED that this Committee recommends to Full Council that the Pay Policy Statement 2022/23, as set out in the Appendix to item A.2 of the Report of the Assistant Director (Partnerships), be adopted.