Agenda and minutes

a.         Salary of Chief Executive

b.         Salary of Strategic Directors

c.         Market Supplements

Consideration was given to the report presented by Simon Cooper, Human Resources Manager, and Phil Howe, Director of Human Resources, which provided details of the Annual Pay Policy Statement for 2015-16 that the Council was obliged to publish under Chapter 8 of the Localism Act 2011. In accordance with the Pay Policy Statement, and the situation where the Council was likely to undertake a recruitment process for a permanent position, the Staffing Committee was asked to confirm their support for a continuation of the proposed salary for a new Chief Executive and that the remuneration for Strategic Director current management level be continued.

Discussion took place on the use of market supplements in relation to recruitment and it was confirmed that such supplements would only be paid exceptionally if it was proven that market conditions and shortage of appropriately skilled, experienced and qualified candidates merited such a supplement. Market Supplements are temporary in nature and reviewable on an annual basis and if there was definite evidence of difficulty in recruiting.  These would not be as standard payment

In terms of the Annual Pay Policy Statement, the salary levels of the Chief Executive and Strategic Directors, the Staffing Committee were content with the details and were happy to recommend that the Statement be published and the salary levels as indicated be maintained at their current rates.

With regards to the Local Living Wage increase, agreement had been reached to implement a local living wage from 1st October, 2014 and, in an attempt to maintain the new differentials in the pay structure, included the condition that the rate would be reviewed each year in line with any percentage pay award increase agreed by the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services.

The recent 2.2% NJC pay award effective from the 1st January, 2015 covered a longer period than normal, up to 31st March 2016.  This percentage uplift when applied to the current rate of £7.65 would increase to £7.82 from 1^st April, 2015.

If this new rate were applied it would be 3p less than the new national living wage rate of £7.85 announced by the Living Wage Foundation in November, 2014.  To increase Rotherham’s local rate to the national rate for 2015-16 using a supplement would cost an additional £28k (inclusive of on-costs).

In addition, if the rate was increased to the new national living wage rate, in order to maintain differentials for supervisory posts, it was proposed to increase the hourly rate for these supervisory employees (105) from £7.88 to £7.96.  This would incur a further £10k cost (inclusive of on costs).

The Staffing Committee were in agreement with increasing to the full national living wage rate of £7.85 per hour with the implementation of the associated change for supervisory posts for 2015-16.

Recommended:- 

(1)  That the Annual Pay Policy Statement be approved.

(2)  That the current salary levels of the Chief Executive and Strategic Directors posts remain.

(3)  That the ability to use temporary market  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Consideration was given to the report presented by Simon Cooper, Human Resources Manager, and Phil Howe, Director of Human Resources, which detailed how Wath Victoria Primary School was seeking to become a Foundation Trust School with effect from 13th April, 2015. A feature of this change of status was that the Governing Body rather than the Local Authority would become the employer of the staff at the School. In order for non-teaching staff to retain membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority were asking the Council to make a formal decision to agree to support continued membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme for the staff concerned.

Further information was provided on how Foundation Trust schools remained Local Authority maintained schools and were funded on the same basis as all other Local Authority schools.

Resolved:-  (1)  That approval be given to the support staff employed in Wath Victoria Primary School remaining in the Local Government Pension Scheme when it changed its status to become a Foundation Trust  School on 15^th April, 2015.

(2)  That retrospective approval be given for the retention of the Local Government Pension Scheme membership for staff in Wath Comprehensive, Wath Central Primary, West Melton Primary and Cortonwood Infants Schools.