To agree an increased salary package for the Director of Governance and Law post.

Council considered a report by the chairperson of the employment panel to agree an increased salary package for the director of governance and law post as recommended by the employment panel. The chairperson of the employment panel introduced the report and proposed the recommendation in the report.

Councillor Ellie Chowns, as the vice chairperson of the employment panel, seconded the recommendation in the report.

Council debated the report.

The recommendation in the report was put to the vote and was carried.

RESOLVED – that:

a)    A new search for the Director of Governance and Law is initiated on the basis of a salary of £108,472.

To agree an increased salary package for the director of governance and law post and recommend that salary package to full council.

The panel considered the report and heard that following an unsuccessful search for a new Director of Governance and Law feedback received indicated the salary offered was insufficient and benchmarking against similar posts in other councils supported this view. It was recommended that the salary be increased to £108,472, the same as the Director of Resources and Assurance (s151 officer).

The panel was satisfied that the market had been tested and that the proposed increased salary was in line with other councils. Failure to recruit would leave the council needing to employ a suitably qualified individual from the interim market at considerable additional cost.

The panel also considered the proposal to increase the threshold at which remuneration packages needed to be approved by full Council. The current threshold of £100,000 as set out in the constitution had been in place since 2011. Based on inflation a revised threshold of £130,000 was proposed. It was clarified that the threshold for Council approval of severance packages would remain at £100,000.

The cabinet member finance, corporate services and planning had been consulted and was not in favour of the increase. However she was content for the proposal to be considered by the panel and accepted that they may have an alternative view.

After discussion it was agreed that consideration of the remuneration threshold be deferred to allow more discussion and for information to be gathered on the approach taken in other councils.  The matter would be brought back to a future meeting for further discussion probably with a recommendation being included in the next review of the annual pay policy statement report.

It was resolved that:

a)    A new search for the Director of Governance and Law is initiated;

b)    Employment panel recommends to Full Council that the new search should be on the basis of a salary of £108,472; and

c)    the review of the threshold for salaries that are considered at Full Council is deferred to a future meeting of employment panel.