Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Central Services introduced a report to Assembly on the Pay Policy Statement 2016/17.

In presenting the report, the Cabinet Member for Finance and Central Services drew the Assembly’s attention to the following areas:

·  If approved, the Local Living Wage rate would be increased to £9.40 per hour (from £9.20) with effect from 1 January 2016.

·  Appendix A to the report contained details of the new structure in place at the Council.

·  The recently announced voluntary redundancy scheme would remain open until 30 May 2016 to ensure fairness and transparency.

·  With regard to pay ratios, the Chief Executive’s median salary rate was attributable to the retention of in-house services such as catering and cleaning.

·  Through the pay policy, the Council would be protecting its services and frontline staff.

The Assembly resolved to approve the Pay Policy Statement for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham for 2016/17 as set out at Appendix A to the report, for publication on the Council’s website with effect from 1 April 2016.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Central Services presented the draft Pay Policy Statement for the Council for 2016/17 which set out the key elements of the Council’s pay policy as required under the Localism Act 2011.

The Cabinet Member commented on the proposed increase to the Local Living Wage rate to 9.40 per hour with effect from 1 January 2016 and the changes to the senior management structure to support the Council’s growth agenda and Ambition 2020 programme.  In respect of the latter it was noted that progress had been made towards the overall £1m saving in senior management costs.

The Cabinet Member also referred to the comparative information in the Pay Policy Statement which showed that at Divisional Director-level and above the Council paid at or below the median pay rates for London Boroughs, while the higher-than-average ratio between the Chief Executive’s salary level and the median earnings figure for all Council employees was attributable to the retention of in-house services such as catering and cleaning in Barking and Dagenham.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the new Local Living Wage rate of £9.40 (up from £9.20) with effect from 1 January 2016 in accordance with paragraph 3.3 of Appendix A to the report; and

(ii)  Recommend the Assembly to approve the Pay Policy Statement for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham for 2016/17 as set out at Appendix A to the report, for publication on the Council’s website with effect from 1 April 2016.