Council reveals how much staff will be paid during the next year
NEATH Port Talbot Council has revealed how much its staff will be paid during 2021/22.
The authority employs around 6,800 people and spends 47% of its gross expenditure on staff wages.
The council’s gross budget for 2021/22 and investment in services totals £459.9m.
Chief executive Karen Jones is the council’s highest-paid employee and currently earns £133,094 per annum.
The lowest-paid council employee is on £17,842 per annum, excluding agency staff and apprentices on different arrangements largely based on training. The median salary is £24,491.
The chief executive position is a full-time job and a person is selected for the role based on merit.
A report by the council’s human resources department states Mrs Jones has 18 years of experience with the council and “routinely works in the evenings and on weekends as well as the standard Monday to Friday business week”.
The council agreed to increase council tax rates for 2021/22 by 2.75% during a meeting held earlier this month. This will cost residents living in Band D properties an extra £44.43, totalling £1,660.02 per year.
Around 80% of Neath Port Talbot residents pay council tax fees below the Band C amount of £1,475.57.
Here are the following pay grades for Neath Port Talbot Council according to profession in 2021/22:
Chief executive between £133,049 and £146,403
Corporate director to £118,447 £109,837
Heads of service to £83,735
Senior and principal educational psychologists - £47,889 to £70,850
Educational psychologists - £38,197 to 56,554
Young people’s/community service managers - £37,772 to £66,486
Educational improvement professionals £36,419 £76,127
to £96,392
Assistant educational psychologists - £30,166 to £33,856
Trainee educational psycologists - £24,541 to £33,520
JNC youth and community workers - £19,308 to £42,718
Local Government Services Employees Pay
Grades:
Grade 1 £18,198 £17,842 to
Grade 2 18,562 £18,198 to
Grade 3 £19,312 £18,562 to
Grade 4 £20,903 £19,312 to
Grade 5 £24,491 £21,322 to
Grade 6 £27,041 £24,491 to
Grade 7 £30,451 £27,041 to
Grade 8 £33,782 £30,451 to
Grade 9 £37,890 £33,782 to
Grade 10 - £37,890 to £41,881
Grade 11 - £41,881 to £44,863
Grade 12 - £44,863 to £46,845
Grade 13 - £47,891 to £50,079
Negotiations of pay awards from April 1, 2021 have not yet concluded and the council will apply them once they are agreed.
The council’s pay grades typically feature six points, based on the duties and responsibilities attached to posts and the need to “recruit, retain and motivate staff”, according to a report by its human resources department.
Independent councillor Steve Hunt said he welcomed “the gap closing” between the council’s highest and lowest-paid staff.
“Responsibilities go with certain jobs hence why the value of a pay scale is put upon it.
“I would like to see the gap closing further in future years and I don’t know whether through council that we can lobby these bodies who set the pay scales going forward.
“The system is set with percentage pay rises, therefore those already on high level pay grades will always have more money than those on the lower pay grades.
“I believe there should be a monetary rise across the board where pay rises are given.”
Plaid Cymru councillor Nigel Hunt said on average Welsh councils spend 50% of their gross expenditure on staff and asked why Neath Port Talbot falls behind the average figure.
Sheenagh Rees, the council’s head of human and organisational development, said the council’s pay grades are set in line with nationally-agreed pay rates.
She said the local authority already offers discounts from Celtic leisure to its staff as well as discounts from high street stores and in relation to council facilities.
The council does not offer its staff discounts for public transport but has a ‘cycle to work initiative,’ she added, which gives employees access to bikes and cycling equipment.