The latest report on pay for council staff said that the lowest-paid workers were earning more than the “Real Living Wage”.
Brighton and Hove City Council said that it had abolished the lowest pay grades during talks to resolve the strike by rubbish and recycling staff in 2021.
The annual pay policy statement for 2023-24, which goes to the council’s Policy and Resources Committee next Thursday (16 March), said that the lowest hourly pay rate for a council worker as of April last year was £11.59. “Real Living Wage” rates are £10.90 an hour.
At the other end of the scale, pay for chief officers and their deputies would rise by a flat-rate £1,925 a year, in line with a national agreement.
The national agreement is expected to bring a 4 per cent increase in allowances and an extra day’s leave for all staff. This is expected to cost the council £9.3 million more in the coming year.
For 2023-24, unions have asked for an increase based on the retail prices index (RPI) plus 2 per cent – currently 12.7 per cent.
Over two years, this would bring the minimum hourly rate at the council to £15.
The report said: “The chief executive’s salary is set to ensure that it is competitive when compared to roles of similar size and complexity elsewhere and with regard to the challenges, additional hours and working arrangements required to achieve the requirements of the role.
“The chief executive is entitled to receive a fee as set by the Ministry of Justice for acting as the local returning officer for elections.
“Full council is required to approve the appointment of the chief executive following the recommendation of such an appointment by the appointment and remuneration panel.”
The council’s current chief executive Geoff Raw is leaving in May to become managing director of Be First London, a new homes and jobs development company for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
The salaries of the council’s top earners are listed on its website. The chief executive’s “salary ceiling” is £166,029.
Executive directors earn up to £127,288, and the chief financial officer and head of human resources (HR) can earn a maximum of £107,252.
Councillors are not paid a salary. Instead, they receive allowances in line with the recommendations of an independent remuneration panel.
The basic councillor allowance is £13,359.60. Councillors in leadership positions have special responsibility allowances for leading their group or chairing committees.
The council leader, Green councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, receives an additional allowance of £33,398.99 in addition to his basic £13,359 allowance, making £46,758.59 in total.
The council’s Policy and Resources Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm on Thursday (16 March). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Paying people the real living wage makes a lot of sense from a healthcare perspective, especially considering the high cost area that is Brighton and the affect it is having, in conjunction with other factors, to the city’s demographics.