Agenda, decisions and minutes

Minutes of the meeting held on 6 November 2023, previously circulated.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 6 November 2023 be signed as a correct record.

It was MOVED by Councillor Hart, SECONDED by Councillor McInnes, and

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 6 November 2023 be signed as a correct record.

Items which in the opinion of the Chair should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

There was no item raised as a matter of urgency.

Joint Report of the Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Director of People and Culture outlining the proposed Pay Policy Statement for 2024/2025, attached.

RESOLVED that the revised Pay Policy Statement (Appendix 1 of the Report) for 2024/25 be endorsed and commended to the Council.

The Committee considered the Joint Report of the Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Director of People and Culture which outlined the proposed Pay Policy Statement for 2024/2025.

The Pay Policy Statement, required under the Localism Act 2011, was a statutory requirement and needed to be reviewed annually.

The Pay Policy Statement (2024/25) had been reformatted and revised to incorporate the LGA Model Pay Policy Template which ensured the Council was meeting the statutory requirements of openness and accountability in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 (section 38). In addition, a review of benchmarking of other Local Authorities’ Pay Policy Statements had taken place and the Council’s revised Pay Policy Statement was comparable.

The Statement currently specified that salaries for Chief Officers (Directors) and Heads of Service on Leadership Grades were fixed for the duration of the Policy and any variation required approval from the County Council, except in the case of annual pay awards, determined by national agreement.

The Pay Policy Statement took account of the implications of the National Living Wage on the pay and grading structure, recruitment and retention difficulties and the changing nature of work and roles within the Council.

The Committee noted that a Pay and Allowances Review continued to be conducted and a new staff Benefits Platform had been launched in 2023 to support the health and wellbeing, welfare and performance of employees.

Appendix 2 in the Pay Policy Statement set out the current Senior Officer salary levels and Director /Heads of Service roles and salary levels based on 2023/24 pay rates.

It was MOVED by Councillor Saywell, SECONDED by Councillor Leaver, and

RESOLVED that the revised Pay Policy Statement (Appendix 1 of the Report) for 2024/25 be endorsed and commended to the Council.

Report of the Director of People and Culture, giving an annual statement on settlement agreements.

The Committee received the Report of the Director of People and Culture, which gave an annual statement on settlement agreements across the Council. This was the second Report of its kind, following the commitment of the Leader to reporting annually on settlement agreements.

The data had been broken down into three 3 categories of corporate agreements, schools and also where agreements had been reached between the Council and ACAS (known as COT3 settlements).

The Deputy Director of People and Culture presented the Report and added the actual numbers of settlement cases across the three categories.

In discussion, it was asked if the Council was in line with other Local Authorities. It was further clarified that numbers had reduced since the last Report and were not at a level which gave any cause for concern.

It was MOVED by Councillor McInnes, SECONDED by Councillor Leaver, and

RESOLVED that the Report be noted.