The Employment Committee of Hertfordshire Council was scheduled to convene on 27 January 2026, to discuss several key employment and pay-related policies and reviews. The agenda included the recommendation of a pay policy for adoption, a review of pay principles and structures, and an update on workforce savings. Members were also scheduled to discuss the recruitment of a Programme Director for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) transition.

Pay Policy 2026-27

The committee was scheduled to consider the Pay Policy for April 2026 to March 2027, as required by the Localism Act 2011¹. The policy was designed to increase transparency and accountability in relation to pay, and the committee was asked to recommend that the County Council adopt it. The pay policy was to include:

information relating to the Head of Paid Service, the Monitoring Officer, Chief Officers (statutory and nonstatutory) and Deputy Chief Officers, as defined in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and including Public Health.

Public reports pack Tuesday 27-Jan-2026 14.00 Employment Committee.pdf

The report pack noted that school employees are excluded from the scope of the pay policy, as each school is required to publish its own pay policy.

The committee was also scheduled to note the data release for April 2026, including the council's gender pay gap information. The current published mean gender pay gap is 0.5%. The council was also planning on voluntarily releasing its Ethnicity Pay Gap along with its Gender Pay Gap.

2025 Pay Review

The Employment Committee was scheduled to discuss the findings of a review into Hertfordshire County Council's pay structures.

Hertfordshire Pay Principles and Pay Structure

The committee was scheduled to discuss the outcome of Part 1 of the 2025 Pay Review, which covered the council's pay principles and a review of the Hertfordshire Salary Scales (covering National Joint Council (NJC) Local Government Workers). The committee was asked to endorse the Strategic Management Board's decision to agree to the Pay Principles and not make any changes to the salary structures.

The review found that the Hertfordshire Salary Scales at Pay Point 3 (PP3) of each level were, in the large majority, meeting or exceeding the agreed market benchmark.

The report pack also stated that the review examined the initial review of the contractual Market Unsocial Hours Allowance (MUSHA) and considered the scope and remit of this payment, recommending it is maintained as is, pending a further wider review.

Organisational Leadership

The Employment Committee was also scheduled to discuss the outcomes of the Pay 2025 Review looking at the Organisational Leadership Job Family pay levels (Levels 15 – 21) and market enhanced ranges against the median market benchmarking data. The report also provided an update on Coroner's pay.

The review of the Organisational Leadership Job Family levels highlighted Levels 21 and 18 where Pay Point 3 was currently sitting below the median, and Levels 17 and 19 where pay point 3 was near to the market median. The report recommended that the 3-point range for roles on pay points 1 - 3 in Level 18 be amended to pay point 2 - 4 to make the third pay point of their individual range to be at or above the market median, affecting 4 roles.

The report pack stated that the review also examined the 22 roles across Levels 15-21 with a market enhanced 3-point range to assess if these market enhancements are maintaining the roles' position to the role-specific market and assesses the need for any amendment to pay based on recruitment and retention (i.e. vacancy and turnover data) for the roles. The review showed no amendments to these roles were required.

Recruitment Programme Director – LGR Transition

The committee was scheduled to discuss the recruitment process for the position of Programme Director – LGR transition. The Hertfordshire Chief Executives had agreed to create this new position to provide strategic leadership and programme oversight for Hertfordshire's Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) project.

The committee was asked to approve the creation of the post, endorse the proposed recruitment approach, and delegate authority to the Chief Executive Officer to take all steps necessary or incidental in relation to the recruitment and appointment of the Programme Director.

The position was to be time-limited as a fixed-term contract with an initial tenure of 24 months, with the fixed term end date being no later than 31 March 2028, subject to review. The role was to be advertised at Level 18 Pay points 2 to 4 within the organisation's pay structure (i.e. £121,449 – £134,011 not including on costs) and jointly funded by all 11 councils.

Workforce Programme – Savings Update

The committee was scheduled to discuss a proposal to introduce a time-limited Mutually Accepted Resignation Scheme (MARS) offer to council employees. The report pack described a Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS) as:

a voluntary severance tool designed to provide flexibility during periods of financial challenge or organisational change. It enables employees to resign by mutual agreement in exchange for a severance payment, supporting workforce cost reduction without resorting to compulsory redundancies.

Public reports pack Tuesday 27-Jan-2026 14.00 Employment Committee.pdf

The committee was asked to endorse the use of MARS as part of a workforce savings programme and approve for the Director of People to engage directly with the recognised Trade Unions on the scheme.

The report pack stated that the council faces a reduction in central government funding of over £40 million a year by 2028/29 and needs to consider how it can deliver its core services and manage its costs and resources most effectively.