To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 8 December 2011 (copy attached).

RESOLVED

that the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on 8 December 2011 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To receive from Members any declarations and the nature thereof in relation to:-

(a)    personal interests in any agenda item;

(b)    personal and prejudicial interests in any agenda item.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman and any matters of communication.

The Chairman referred to the resolution under minute GPC/11/30 of the last meeting which had directed that the concept of warding the Parish of Stotfold be explored and that the findings be reported to a meeting of the Committee in early March.  She advised Members that a report, including an analysis of the outcome of the associated public consultation exercise, would not now be available until the Committee’s next scheduled meeting on Wednesday, 11 April 2012.

To receive petitions from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 2 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

No petitions were received from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 2 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

To receive any questions, statements or deputations from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 1 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

No questions, statements or deputations were received from members of the public in accordance with the Public Participation Procedure as set out in Annex 1 of Part A4 of the Constitution.

To consider adopting the proposed Pay Policy Statement for 2012/13.

The Committee considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive People and Organisation which set out the proposed Pay Policy Statement for 2012/13.  The meeting noted that the Localism Act 2011 required all local authorities to prepare, approve and publish a pay policy statement for the financial year 2012/13 and for each subsequent year.  The meeting further noted that, under its current terms of reference, the General Purposes Committee would have approved the Policy and it would then have been adopted by Council.  However, the Localism Act required that the Policy be approved by full Council.  In addition, pay policy statements would need to be approved and adopted by full Council annually before 31 March, immediately prior to the financial year to which they applied.

Turning to the Policy itself Members were advised that the legislation extended the existing requirements under the Code of Transparency so that Chief Officer remuneration was now required to be published on council websites.  The Committee was aware that Central Bedfordshire already complied with this requirement. 

The Committee was also advised that the legislation had drawn on Hutton’s Fair Pay Review in the Public Sector 2011 and introduced requirements to compare the policies on the remuneration of chief officers and other employees in the Authority and set out a policy on the lowest paid (excluding local authority schools to which the Act did not apply).

The Committee was assured that the draft Pay Policy Statement 2012/13 met the requirements of the Localism Act and that it referred to information relating to the Council’s existing policies and terms and conditions.

NOTED

the draft Pay Policy Statement for 2012/13.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

1          that the draft Pay Policy Statement 2012/13, as set out at Appendix A to these minutes, be approved and adopted;

2          that, following approval and adoption, the Pay Policy Statement 2012/13 be published on the Council’s website.