Agenda and draft minutes

None received.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15^th October 2024 were confirmed as an accurate record.

We received the independent review of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Officer Remuneration by Anne Philimore, FCIPD, HR Consultant that was commissioned by Cabinet due to the current salary structures of the Strategic Leadership Team not being comparable with other councils in the Gwent area/Borders.

In doing so, the following points were noted:

·         The previous Senior Leadership Pay review had been conducted in 2010. This had not hampered the Authority’s desire to have a strong Strategic Leadership Team over the last 14 years.

·         The 2025/26 County Council Budget is extremely challenging and this needs to be considered when concluding recommendations for the Senior Leadership Pay, which will be considered by Full Council in due course.

·         The HR consultant’s recommendations for Tiers 1 – 4 are their respective Options 2 – Median Range, outlined in the report and presentation.  This additional cost would be an identified pressure on the 2025/26 budget that has been recognised by the Acting 151 Officer. This additional cost could be phased in over a two-year period to ease budgetary pressures.

·         It was suggested that remuneration be considered as a monetary contribution with additional benefits, e.g., reduced gym membership, with a view to providing a financial equivalent, but also increase the quality of life of the individual.  However, it was noted that the taxability of benefits in kind would need to be considered should such a benefits package be established.

·         The Authority has offered flexible working to its staff for a number of years. However, many other organisations now also offer increased levels of flexibility to their staff, which is less of a unique selling point for Monmouthshire County Council.

·         Senior Leadership pay should be established first at Tier 1 and then progress through the Tiers in order to Tier 4. This provides the correct context for paying Senior Leadership staff.

·         The Chief Executive post has considerable responsibility within the Authority. There should be a sufficient difference in salary between the Chief Executive and Chief Officers to reflect this.

·         The next meeting of the Remuneration Committee will discuss affordability of the independent review of the Senior Leadership Pay, with a view to outlining recommendations.

We noted the report and presentation.

19th November 2024 at 2.00pm.