Agenda item

(To receive a report from Debbie Barnes, Executive Director with responsibility for People Management, which asks the Pay Policy Sub-Committee to consider and agree the Pay Policy Statement 2016-17)

Consideration was given to a report from the Executive Director with responsibility for People Management which advised the Pay Policy Sub-Committee that the Localism Act 2011 required all local authorities to agree on an annual basis, pay policy statements which were compliant with the provisions of the Act and then to subsequently publish them thereafter.

The Service Manager – People advised the Sub-Committee that the pay spine had not yet been amended but that, subject to advice from the National Employers, preparations would be made for employees currently paid on scale points 2 and 3 to be temporarily increased on 1 April 2016 in accordance with the National Living Wage.  It was not expected that the final negotiations would be settled by 1 April 2016 therefore the LGA advised that the temporary increase be made until negotiations were finalised.

In relation to Senior Management Allowance, the Sub-Committee were advised that the policy had been updated to reflect the changes in national terms and conditions affecting an allowance paid to the Director for Public Health and to pay for the Fire & Rescue Service Management Team. 

During discussion, the following points were noted:-

·       It was explained that the Director of Public Health had transferred under TUPE from the NHS as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.  The terms and conditions of that employment, including the salary and additional allowance, were protected;

·       Confirmation was received that until a reason presented itself to reconsider the salary package of a position which had been TUPE transferred, for example a full scale restructure, the authority was unable to change the terms of employment;

·       Increments would only be awarded to those members of staff within the Senior Leadership Pay Band where highly accomplished and exceptional performance had been agreed.  Individuals on those scales were normally appointed to the median point and would only receive the national cost of living increase unless awarded an increment for highly accomplished and exceptional performance;

·       Those earning £100k or more per annum were not eligible for the Chief Officer Pay Award of 2% in 2015/16;

·       It was thought that the terminology for roles in the Senior Leadership Band was unclear.  It was requested that this be amended so that it was Lincolnshire specific;

·       The positioning of roles within the Leadership Zone and Zones A, B and C had been based on the Hay Group Job Evaluation compared against similar jobs nationally within their own database;

·       A breakdown of the individual senior leader roles within each zone was requested to be included in the version to be presented to Full Council;

·       The reason why some senior leaders were within the Zones (Hay) and others on the Council's grading scheme was explained.   The Council's job evaluation process was managed by Serco HR.  Should the score for a senior role be higher than the 828 points in the Council's JE scheme, the appropriate Director would need to agree that the role be evaluated against the Hay methodology.  It was acknowledged that there was an overlap between the two schemes.

RESOLVED

That the Pay Policy Statement 2016/17 as detailed at Appendix A, with the amendment noted above, be agreed and referred to full Council for approval.