Council To Hear Report On Senior Pay

The Council meet on Wednesday to hear the report and recommendations from the Pay and Reward Panel for Senior Pay for 2012/2013. Members of the pubic and media are excluded from this meeting, and the report is not published online – although we are told on the agenda that it is happening.

The Pay and Reward Panel gives yearly feedback prior to further development of the Council’s pay policy. The panel consists of ten members ‘appointed on a politically balanced basis’ with one member acting as chair and has existed in its current form since 2010.

Formally the restriction quoted is based on “Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.”

The Council’s Pay Policy Statement (PDF here) sets out information on the Senior Management pay plus other bits of information in the public domain including :

• Chief Executive – “The current salary of the post is £105,000. The salary falls within a range of 4 incremental points between £105,000, rising to a maximum of £117,500.”
• Strategic and Performance Directors – “The current salary for the post is within a range of 4 incremental points between £90,000 rising to a maximum of £96,000.”
• Heads of Department  – “The current salary for the post is within a range of 6 incremental points between £73,000 rising to a maximum of £83,000”

The lowest paid council employees have paid details mentioned in the Pay Policy stating “As at 1 April 2012, this is £12,489 per annum (basic full time equivalent salary), which equates to £6.47 per hour.”

The Chief Executive post also allows entitlement to 35 days annual leave each year, plus also holds the role of Returning Officer for Wrexham and Clwyd South which although is separate from the Council does attract further pay.

The ‘proper officer’ comments on the restriction on the public copy of the agenda saying “while he is mindful of the need to ensure that transparency and accountability of public authority for decisions taken by them he was satisfied that in this case disclosure of the information would prejudice the discussion in relation to labour relations to the disadvantage of the authority and inhabitants of its area.”

You can not read the report by clicking this link and reading the PDF on the council website here.