Cllr Robinson, Cabinet Member for an Efficient Council and Planning Policy, presented report LD.396, explaining that the Staff Joint Consultative Panel and the Cabinet had already considered it. The council was now required to have a pay policy statement and Full Council had to approve any individual officer's pay over £100,000, which currently did not apply to the council. He highlighted the Hutton report comments on pay differentials as at agenda page 343, paragraph 5.5, noting that the council differential between the highest and lowest paid member of staff was 5.8 times, well below the maximum of 20 times set in the Hutton report.

Cllr Robinson clarified for Cllr Winship that the term 'scoping officer' applied to chief officer and that the £15.19 meeting allowance was for a whole meeting.

Cllr Lawton asked why the policy stated that an employee made redundant would not be re-employed by the council.

The Solicitor to the Council replied that it was viewed as bad practice, since the individual would have gone through a process of possible redeployment before being made redundant.

The Solicitor to the Council confirmed for Cllr Birch that the council did not pay any bonuses. It operated an honorarium scheme for temporary additional duties, which was rarely used.

Referring to the council's pay differentials, Cllr Bill Evans asked how it could justify the upper limit of a factor of eight between the highest and lowest paid as at agenda page

Cllr Robinson emphasised that the factor of eight was a limit. He was comfortable with the current factor of 5.8, but believed the figure of 20 to be unreasonable. If the council set the limit at six, at any time in the future when a new post might be proposed at a salary just above that figure, it would need to come back to Full Council, hence the slightly higher maximum of eight.

Cllr Robinson proposed and Cllr Molyneux seconded the recommendation as at the agenda.

Councillors agreed to vote on a show of hands.

RESOLVED - To adopt the Pay Policy Statement as at annex A to report LD.396