1. Introduction to the policy
1.1 Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011 requires English and Welsh local authorities to produce a statutory pay policy statement for each financial year which sets out the council’s policies relating to the remuneration of chief officers (a term which includes both statutory and non-statutory chief officers) and the relationship between the remuneration of the highest and lowest paid.
1.2 This document sets out East Devon District Council’s pay policy statement which is reviewed annually and published on the Council’s website.
1.3 In the context of managing scarce public resources, remuneration at all levels within the Council needs to be adequate to secure and retain high-quality employees dedicated to the service of the public, but at the same time needs to avoid being unnecessarily generous or otherwise excessive. We have already adopted a pay and reward policy which complements this pay policy statement and seeks to ensure that pay and reward systems facilitate the retention and recruitment of employees with the right skills and capabilities and takes account of regional and national variations and local market factors.
1.4 The Council has adopted the Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency, in respect of its approach to publication of and access to information relating to the remuneration of senior officers. This includes Senior Salaries data which has the details of the remuneration of the authorities’ senior staff, including key responsibilities and allowances. This is published on the Council’s website and/or in the Annual Statement of Accounts.