New pay structure agreed for staff at Chichester District Council

A comprehensive review of posts on a service-by-service basis has been carried out, with a job evaluation process undertaken for each separate role followed by the production of a revised grading system.

As part of the new pay structure a total of 163 staff (41.6 per cent) will see no change, but 182 (46.4 per cent ) will see an increase to their total reward package, while 47 (12 per cent) are set to see decreases.

The last group will be subject to the council’s salary protection scheme where their pay will be fully or partially protected for three years before fully reverting to their new terms and conditions.

According to an officers’ report the reductions in pay are as a result of the evaluation process rather than result of the proposed New Reward Scheme (NRS).

Those who will see their pay rise could be the result of their role being evaluated higher and moving up a grade or two or may have been evaluated at the same level as before but the pay ceiling has increased under the new NRS.

Cabinet member supported the changes on Tuesday (January 8), with an extra £303,500 a year required to support the NRS.

Meanwhile £360,600 will fund the salary protection costs.

Peter Wilding, cabinet member for corporate services, said the changes would ensure the council has a ‘fair and consistent pay structure’.

Eileen Lintill, cabinet member for community services, said: “I think this is a really good piece of work and a considerably large piece of work. It’s good to hear Unison are accepting the results of this.”