The Chief Executive presented a report, the purpose of which, was to seek Council approval for the Pay Policy Statement for 2022/2023 (Appendix 1 to the report). This is in response to legislative requirements and to provide openness and accountability in relation to how the Council rewards its staff.

The Human Resource Service Centre Manager, advised that the Council has a statutory requirement under the Localism Act to prepare a Pay Policy Statement for the new financial year, which needs to be approved and published by 31 March 2022.

The timing of the report ensures that the information is as up to date as is possible. This includes the NJC Pay Agreement effective from 1st April 2021, which has been agreed as recently as 28th February 2022.

The Pay Policy Statement provides the framework for decision making on pay and, in particular, decision making on senior pay.

He confirmed therefore, that whilst the Localism Act requires all authorities to develop and make public their policy on all Chief Officer remuneration, to achieve that transparency, pay details for all relevant groups are included.

In terms of Appendix 1 of the report, ie the Pay Policy Statement, the Human Resource Service Centre Manager statements, drew Members attention to Paragraph 6.6, that outlined the introduction of the Market Supplement Policy which as Members were aware, was approved at Council since the last Pay Policy Statement.

Paragraph 8 of the report then gave information upon Pay Relativities which the Authority are obliged to publish as part of the report. These have been updated from the previous year in line with salaries revised following the 2021 pay award, he added. 

A Member noted that a Town Councillor had recently said publicly, that BCBC paid male and females doing the same job different rates of pay. He asked the Human Resource Service Centre Manager if this statement was correct and also to expand upon or explain the difference between inequal pay and the gender pay gap

The Human Resource Service Centre Manager, advised that the Council are required to report their gender pay gap on an annual basis. The gender pay gap is the difference between the average (mean or median) earnings of men and women across a workforce.

At the last report submitted 31 March 2022, showed 13% pay gap which comparing median pay.

The gender pay gap is a measure of the difference in average pay of men and women, irrespective of their work, across the organisation.  It is different from equal pay, which compares how men and women are paid for carrying out the same or comparable roles.

The Council seeks to maintain the equal pay requirements within the Pay and Grading Structure by evaluating any new or changed roles through its Job Evaluation Scheme. This will ensure that all pay differentials can be objectively justified.

The Council does have a pay gap which is influenced by a number of factors including the composition and distribution of the workforce, as opposed to pay inequality.

To clarify therefore, employees in the same roles get the same pay, ie for the same job, so the statement made by the Town Councillor as expanded upon in the Members question, was inaccurate.

RESOLVED:                                That Council approved the Pay Policy Statement 2022/2023 attached at Appendix 1 to the report.