Issue - meetings

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer presented the Pay Policy Statement 2025/26.

The Executive Committee was advised that Councils were required by the Localism Act to report on the pay awarded to staff on an annual basis, by the end of March each year.  The purpose of the report was to provide transparency in respect of the Council’s approach to setting pay as well as in respect of the remuneration of senior staff employed by the authority.  At Redditch Borough Council, staff pay comprised grades 1 to 11, Hay grade managerial posts and senior officer positions, for staff employed at a Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) level.  Staff posts at grades 1 to 11 were subject to job evaluation whilst more senior posts, including Hay grade posts, were job evaluated by external recruitment advisers.  There were spinal points in each grade and employees progressed up those spinal points over time.

Performance related pay was not paid to staff employed by the authority, including at a senior level.  The pay was, however, reviewed and negotiations were undertaken nationally with representatives of the trades unions each year.  The outcomes of these negotiations and the pay award tended to be announced in the autumn, with back pay awarded to staff in line with pay awards.

For the first time in the Pay Policy Statement, information about the division of costs for salaries had been extended to include contributions from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) where applicable.  This was relevant to three senior officer posts where staff had a role managing Housing Services.  All of the senior officers employed at CLT and SLT levels managed shared services and the contribution from Redditch Borough Council towards their pay had been listed in the report.

Following the presentation of the report, Members discussed the content of the Pay Policy Statement and in doing so questioned whether there were other posts, in addition to the three senior positions listed in the report, where funding for the role was charged to the HRA.  Officers confirmed that there were other roles at the Council where contributions were made through the HRA.  In total, the overall recharge budget to the HRA was £4.2 million.  The recharge arrangements and the rationale for this needed to be clear and would be reviewed by the external auditors.

Reference was also made to the lowest salary paid at the Council, of £23,653 per annum, and questions were raised about whether this reflect the minimum or national living wage.  The Executive Committee was advised that this wage was set at a level above both the current national living wage and the national minimum wage.

Consideration was given to the pay awarded to apprenticeships and Members questioned how this related to the pay awarded to other staff.  Officers clarified that the Council was trying to link apprenticeships to pay grades.

RECOMMENDED that

the Pay Policy Statement 2025/26 be approved.