Issue - meetings

To consider the outstanding recommendations from the meeting of the Cabinet held on 7^th January 2026 that have not yet been determined. Also to consider recommendations arising from the Cabinet meeting on 18^th February 2026.

Council considered recommendations arising from the meetings of the Cabinet held on 7^th January and 18^th February 2026.

Pay Policy Statement 2026/27

The Leader advised that the Localism Act 2011 required English and Welsh local authorities to produce an annual Pay Policy Statement.  The Act required the statement to be approved by Full Council and to be adopted by 31^st March each year for the subsequent financial year. 

The purpose of the statement was to provide transparency with regard to the Council’s approach to setting the pay of its employees by identifying;

·       the methods by which salaries of all employees were determined;

·       the detail and level of remuneration of the most senior staff i.e. ‘chief officers’, as defined by the relevant legislation; and

·       the Committee(s) responsible for ensuring the provisions set out in this statement were applied consistently throughout the Council and for recommending any amendments to the full Council.

The Council’s pay and grading structure comprised grades 1 – 11. These were followed by grades for Managers, Assistant Director 1, Assistant Director 2, the Director of Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS), Executive Director, Deputy Chief Executive and then Chief Executive; all of which arose following the introduction of shared services between Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough Councils.

Within each grade, there were a number of salary scale points. Up to and including grade 11 scale, at spinal column point 43, the Council used the nationally negotiated pay spine. Salary points above this were locally determined.  All Council posts were allocated to a grade within this pay structure, based on the application of a Job Evaluation process. Posts at the level of Managers and above were evaluated by an external assessor using the Hay Job Evaluation scheme.  As with the majority of authorities, the Council was committed to the Local Government Employers’ national pay bargaining framework in respect of the national pay spine and annual cost of living increases negotiated with the trade unions.

All other pay related allowances were the subject of either nationally or locally negotiated rates.  The Council was managed by a corporate leadership team who managed shared services across both Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough Councils.  All of the senior officer posts listed had been job evaluated on this basis, with the salary costs for these posts split equally between both Councils.

The policy also set out:

·       The recruitment of Chief Officers

·       Additions to the salaries of Chief Officers (Members were informed that there was no performance related pay)

·       Termination payments

·       Advertisement/publicity of posts

The documentation within the main agenda pack reflected the current year’s pay structure agreed with the unions, as the national bargaining process for the current year had not yet concluded. The pay structure would be updated during the year to reflect the nationally agreed position once the national bargaining process had concluded and the new pay settlement was confirmed for April 2026 onwards.

As part of the national bargaining process the Council’s lowest pay level would always meet the national  ...  view the full minutes text for item 103