The Employment Committee at Reigate and Banstead Borough Council is scheduled to convene this Tuesday to discuss key workforce strategies and policies. The agenda includes reviewing and endorsing the council's People and Culture Plan, providing feedback on the draft Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27, and considering the future work programme. Additionally, there will be a verbal update on the Pay Award 2026/27, which will be discussed in an exempt session, meaning the press and public will be excluded.

People & Culture Plan 2024-2027

The committee will be asked to note and endorse the Reigate & Banstead Borough Council's People & Culture Plan 2024-2027. This plan is described as an internal document that outlines the council's priorities for its workforce, values and ways of working. It is designed to support the Corporate Plan theme of 'a Resilient Council', specifically focusing on the 'People and Skills' priority. The plan sets out a vision to attract, grow, support and retain great people and to build a positive workplace culture, strengthen leadership, promote inclusion, and ensure the council is equipped to meet the evolving needs of the community. The People and Culture Plan is scheduled to be presented to the committee by Kate Brown, Head of Organisational Development, Human Resources & Payroll. The plan is designed to run from 2025-2027, a finite time frame set given the parameters and timing of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The report pack states that the plan has four interdependent pillars:

• Attracting and recruiting great people
• Developing great people (including leaders and people managers)
• Retaining great people
• OD, HR & Payroll Excellence

The plan acknowledges the challenges of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and the impact on both residents and staff, and it sets out a clear, measurable action plan for the coming years, ensuring that the workforce is equipped to manage these transitions effectively while maintaining and enhancing service delivery.

Draft Pay Policy Statement for 2026/2027

The committee will be asked to note the early draft of the Pay Policy Statement for 2026/2027 and provide feedback. The Pay Policy Statement sets out how the council determines appropriate employee remuneration, including salary and performance-related pay. It also includes statistical information demonstrating the relationship of remuneration between different levels of employees, such as chief officers and the lowest-paid employees. The statement reaffirms the council's commitment to paying a fair and real living wage to all employees and workers, above national minimum wage levels. The [Localism Act 2011]¹ requires councils to determine and publish annual pay policy statements. The act defines remuneration widely, to include not just pay but also charges, fees, allowances, increases, enhancements of pension entitlements etc, and termination payments. The pay policy statement must set out the council's policies relating to:

• Chief Officer remuneration
• Remuneration of its lowest paid employees plus the definition used for this group and the reason for adopting that definition
• The relationship between Chief Officer remuneration and that of other staff

For the purposes of the statement, 'Chief Officer' includes a total of four positions; Statutory Chief Officers (Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer and Section 151 Officer) and Non-Statutory Chief Officers (Deputy CEX or Director(s) - who report directly to the Head of Paid Service).

Future Work Programme 2025/26

The committee will consider its future work programme for 2025/26.