Issue - meetings

The Executive Member for Corporate Services presented the Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24. He said that it was a statutory requirement that all councils produce and publish a Pay Policy and the 2023/24 Statement included the pay negotiation concluded in 2022 which added £1,925 to each spinal column. This meant the lowest pay point had a pay increase of 9.99% and the highest pay point had a 3.98% increase.

Councillor Cutting proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Alder seconded the proposal.

Councillor Redfern asked if the pay policy included an uplift for the current year that had not been agreed yet.

Councillor Cutting said the current negotiations had not been agreed yet.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That the Pay Policy Statement for 2023/24 be agreed.

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development introduced the report. He said that the report had not changed significantly since last year but had been updated to include the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 pay awards. He referred to paragraph 3.4 of the report which detailed these awards and included the additional day of annual leave awarded to National Joint Council (NJC) posts with effect from 1 April 2023.

The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development drew Members’ attention to Section 7 of the report which gave clarification on Market Supplements, and paragraph 5.12 which gave detail on the spread of East Herts Council’s pay grades, which start from spinal point 4. He said that Payroll had now processed the pay awards for 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, which staff had received. 

Councillor Alder asked if there was any indication of what the pay award for 2023-2024 would be. The Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development said that the Trade Unions had made a request, but with the council’s budget and savings requirements negation would be required.

It was moved by Councillor Bull and seconded by Councillor Alder that the recommendations, as detailed be approved. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Pay Policy 2023/2024 be recommended for approval by Council.