Issue - meetings

Members considered recommendations arising from two meetings of the Executive Committee, held on 4^th February and 24^th February 2025.  As the latter meeting had taken place directly before Council, there were no minutes from that meeting available for consideration at the Council meeting but Members did debate and determine the recommendations.

Pay Policy Statement 2025/26

The Pay Policy Statement 2025/26 was considered by Members.  In discussing the report, Members noted that there was a legal requirement for the Pay Policy Statement, which detailed the pay for all staff employed by the authority, to be published on an annual basis by the end of March each year.

During consideration of this report, questions were raised about the extent to which the Council had access to information about the gender pay gap at the authority.  Members were advised that the Council did have access to this data and this would be addressed in a report that was due to be considered by Members later in the year.

Reference was also made to the pay scales that applied to posts at grades 1 – 11, with Members noting that the top scale point on one grade was often the same as the bottom scale of the grade above.  In this context, Members questioned whether staff promoted up one grade might be expected to take on additional responsibilities in a new role whilst initially not receiving any further pay in recognition for this work.  In responding, Officers advised that an assumption could not be made that an officer would have always reached the top scale of their previous grade before they were promoted.  However, there was flexibility available to managers to move staff onto a higher scale in a new grade in cases where this was felt to be appropriate.

Medium Term Financial Plan 2025/26 to 2027/28 Tranche 2 Report

The Mayor opened this item by explaining that recommendations had been proposed on the subject of the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2025/26 to 2027/28 at both the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 4^th February and at the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 24^th February 2025.  To ensure clarity in the decision-making process on the budget, the Mayor proposed that both sets of recommendations should be considered at the same time at the meeting.  Members were also asked to note that no alternative budgets had been received in advance of the meeting for consideration and therefore would not be considered at the meeting.

The Portfolio Holder for Finance subsequently presented the MTFP 2025/26 to 2027/28 Tranche 2 report for Members’ consideration.  Members were reminded that the budget had been considered in two tranches in a similar manner to 2024/25.  The second tranche had been amended to take into account the Local Government Financial Settlement for the Council, which had been confirmed on 3^rd February 2025.  In advance of the settlement being announced, the local government sector had been advised that core spending power would be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70