How Much Do you Earn Mr Stewart?

On Thursday 31 March at 2pm in the Council Chamber, SDC will once again ban members of the public from the democratic process.

This time the public will be excluded because

Exclusion of the Public To exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that it is likely to disclose exempt information, as defined in paragraph 4 of Part 1, of Schedule 12A, of the Local Government Act 1972:- Paragraph 4:

‘Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.’

Now what is important in the bumpf above are the words ” it is likely to disclose”, but it is not certainly going to disclose. Mr Alistair Stewart (picture below) is a man who seems to delight in excluding the residents of Shepway and the taxpayer from the Council Chamber

Now the reason we are excluded is they will be discussing Pay Awards.

Pay Award 2016 Negotiations

To receive and consider a verbal update, from the Head of Human Resources, on the Pay Award 2016 negotiations, following a meeting of the Joint Staff Consultative Panel on 24 March 2016.

Now as this is taxpayers money and as the Information Commission Office has already stated that anyone earning more than £58,200 can be named, it makes sense to exlude the public from the chamber on people less than that. That’s only right and proper, but for those on the amount mentioned or earning more than that, well the ICO says we can know

see para 19 of the Greenwood v ICO (EA/2011/0131 & 0137) Decision Notice

So yes those on or below £58,200 the public can be excluded as it is likely to disclose exempt information for officers earning less, but not for those officers earning more.

These were what  SDC Senior Salaries 14-15 were and can be found in the accounts for 14/15. However that said SDC must publish salary in £5,000 brackets, consistent with the details published for Senior Salaries but they do not, which is in breach of the Local Government Transparency Code (see page 34)

So regardless, Mr Stewart and his cohorts appear not to give a damn about transparency and also are keen to use as much legislation to exclude us, the taxpayer, from knowing what he and the other senior management team have negotiated with regards to their increase in pay.

Should we the residents of Shepway expect anything less from Mr Stewart (Above) and the Head of HR Andrina Smith  (below)

Shepwayvox