Localism Act 2011 - Pay Policy Statement

The following section sets out the Council’s Pay Policy in relation to the remuneration of its Chief Officers and employees - in accordance with Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011.

The policy is subject to annual review and must be approved by the Council each financial year. This statement is valid from 1^st April 2026 to 31^st March 2027. The structures and pay rates quoted are correct as of 31^st January 2026.

Subject to specific circumstances it may be necessary to amend the Pay Policy statement during the financial year. Any changes or amendments made will be subject to full Council approval.

The policy will be published on the Council’s website as soon as reasonably practicable after Council approval or amendment.

The arrangements set out within this document do not extend to those members of staff who are employed within schools. This is because the scope of the Localism Act does not require Councils to consider individual schools.

The Council is mindful of its duty as defined in the Equality Act 2010. This Pay Policy Statement forms part of a range of pay policies to promote equality in pay practices and assists in ensuring that the Council is promoting transparency of senior managers’ pay and a fair approach to pay related equalities objectives.

Definition of officers covered by the Policy Statement

This Policy Statement covers the following posts:

Statutory Chief Officers:

· Head of Paid Service - Chief Operating Officer

· Returning Officer - Chief Operating Officer

· Monitoring Officer - Director of Governance

· Director of Children’s Services – Corporate Director Children & Education

· Director of Adult Social Services - Corporate Director Adult Social Care & Integration

· Chief Finance Officer (S151) – Director of Finance

· Director of Public Health - Director of Public Health

Non-statutory Chief Officers:

· Director Environment & Regulatory Services

· Director City Development

· Director Housing & Communities

· Director of Children’s Safeguarding

· Assistant Director Finance

· Assistant Director Housing

· Assistant Director Adult Social Care (two posts)

· Assistant Director Education & Skills

· Assistant Director (Consultant) in Public Health (vacant)

· Assistant Director Customers, Communities & Inclusion

· Chief Officer HR & Support Service

· Chief Officer Transformation

· Chief Strategy Officer

Policy on remunerating Chief Officers

The Council has a policy for remunerating Chief Officers based on job evaluation and a grade structure. No changes to this are proposed during 2026-2027.

The grade and salary structure for Chief Officers and the Chief Operating Officer, as at January 2026, is:

Chief Operating Officer	4	£168,731
	3	£166,459
	2	£164,187
	1	£159,643

	4	£126,641
Corporate	3	£122,648
Directors	2	£118,804
	1	£115,078

	4	£113,034
Directors	3	£109,282
	2	£105,658
	1	£102,156

	4	£92,834
Assistant	3	£89,561
Directors	2	£86,670
	1	£83,772

Note: these rates are the pay rates effective from 1^st April 2025

Any annual increase to the salary scales is in accordance with awards negotiated nationally by the respective National Joint Councils and applicable from 1^st April annually.

Progression through the salary scale for the Chief Operating Officer is dependent upon performance and approval by the Leader of the Council.

Progression through the salary scale for Chief Officers is dependent upon performance and achievement of objectives, approved by the line manager.

Salary on Appointment of Chief Officers

The appointments sub-committee, subject to Pay Policy and job evaluated range for the post, determines the salary level and package offered to the successful candidate.

Statutory Chief Officers’ pay packages are subject to approval by the Council’s Staffing Matters & Urgency Committee.

Bonus and Performance related payments

The Council does not make any such payments.

Pension Contributions

Employer pension contributions are set by the relevant pension fund.

Benefits in Kind

There are no benefits in kind to which officers are entitled as a result of their employment.

Travel and other expenses

Any necessary travel and expenses are reimbursed through normal Council procedures.

Election Duties undertaken by Chief Officers

Fees for election duties undertaken by Chief Officers are not included in their salaries.

The Chief Operating Officer is the Returning Officer and receives payments for elections. For local elections, fees are set locally. For national elections, fees are set by the Cabinet Office.

Termination payments of Chief Officers including redundancy and pension discretion

The Council applies its normal redundancy payments arrangements to Chief Officers and does not have separate provisions for them. The Council also applies the appropriate Pensions regulations when they apply. The Council has agreed policies in place on how it will apply any discretionary powers it has under Pensions regulations. Any costs that are incurred by the Council regarding Chief Officers are published in the authority accounts as required under the Accounts and Audit (England) Regulations 2015.

Approval of any pension discretions are made by the Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee.

Non-contractual Chief Officers and officer Special Severance Payments over £100k in value are subject to approval by the Council’s Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee.

Remuneration of other non-chief officer staff

In addition to the separate arrangements for the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Officers, the Council has staff employed under terms and conditions set for the following groups:

· Local Government Services Employees

· Soulbury Officers

· Educational Psychologists

· Workshop for the Blind

· Teachers (non-school based)

· The council also employs staff who have separate terms and conditions subject to the Transfer of Undertaking and Protection of Employment (TUPE) Regulations.

Increases to the Council’s salary scales are in line with annual salary awards negotiated nationally by the respective National Joint Councils.

Policy on remunerating the lowest paid in the workforce

The Council applies terms and conditions of employment that have been negotiated and agreed through appropriate collective bargaining mechanisms (national or local) or as a consequence of Council decisions. These are then incorporated into contracts of employment.

The Council operates a grading structure for Local Government Services employees. This runs from Grade 2 to 13 and the lowest paid employees, excluding apprentices, are situated within this structure at Grade 2.

The Council is a Living Wage Foundation accredited employer which means its lowest pay point complies with its outside London Living Wage rate. From 1^st April 2026 this rate of pay will be £13.45 per hour (£25,948.86 per annum). A Living Wage supplement is in place if needed to bridge any gap between basic pay and the Living Wage rate.

Apprenticeship Pay

The Council’s pay rates for apprentices are:

· Year 1 (regardless of age) – the equivalent of the National Minimum Wage for 18- to 20-year-olds.

· Year 2 and any subsequent years (regardless of age) – the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and above.

· Rates increase annually in April following any changes made to the National Minimum and National Living Wage rates.

Policy on the relationship between Chief Officer Remuneration and that of other staff

At the time of this report the highest salary in this Council is £168,731 which is paid to the Chief Operating Officer. The median salary in this council is £33,727 (Apprentices have been excluded from the calculation for the median.) The ratio between the two salaries, the ‘pay multiple’ is 5.002:1. This Council does not have a policy on maintaining or reaching a specific ‘pay multiple’, however the Council is conscious of the need to ensure that the salary of the highest paid employee, whilst reflecting the responsibilities of that role and reflecting the overall market, is not excessive and is consistent with the needs of the Council as expressed in this Policy Statement.

Amendments to the policy

No amendments to the Pay Policy are anticipated during the year. If changes are made these will be presented to full Council for approval as appropriate. Any relevant changes involving the senior structure impacting on this Statement will be reported to full council.