PAY POLICY STATEMENT AGREED

Details of Thanet District Council’s Pay Policy Statement have been agreed by Full Council.

The report is a statement of fact, setting out the council’s policy relating to the pay of its workforce for the financial year 2012/13 and details the scheme that the council has in place.

The statement is a new requirement under the government’s Localism Act, which requires the council to detail how it pays staff, from chief officers to those on the lowest grades and the relationship between the pay of chief officers and other staff.

Sue McGonigal, Chief Executive said: “We know only too well how contentious the issue of pay in the public sector is. The council’s approach has always been to award its staff appropriately to ensure that we can recruit and retain high quality employees who can deliver the best possible services to the public, while at the same time ensuring that our pay is not excessive. The aim is to be in line with other employers, so that we are not losing good staff to other organisations. Although the government has told local councils that they need to produce this information, it is something we’re more than happy to do. All of our staff are paid within the same framework, whether they’re the Chief Executive or on the lowest grade and I’m proud to say that, as it’s only right that all of our staff should be dealt with under the same pay scheme.”

The council is committed to openness and transparency and already publishes a large amount of information online, including its senior officer pay scales, details of councillors’ expenses and any items of expenditure of over £500. Further details of senior officer pay will also be made available during 2012/13.