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Pay Policy Statement

The authority seeks to be able to recruit and retain staff in a way which is externally competitive and internally fair. The Kent Scheme Pay Policy applies in a consistent way from the lowest to the highest grade.

  • The Pay Policy is influenced by a number of factors which include local pay bargaining, market information, market forces, economic climate, measures of inflation and budgetary position.
  • The policy referred to in this statement is relevant to council employees generally. The scope of this statement does not include all terms and conditions as some are set on a national basis. These include teachers covered by the school teachers pay and conditions in (England and Wales) document, Soulbury Committee (pay only), Adult Education, National Joint Council (NJC), Joint National Council (JNC) and the National Health Service (NHS).
  • The Kent Scheme pay range consists of grades KR3 to KR20.
  • The details of the reward package for all corporate directors and directors are published and updated on the County Council’s website.
  • We will publish the number of people and job title by salary band. This is from £50,000 to £54,999 and then by pay bands of £5,000 thereafter. This will include elements made on a repeatable or predictable basis such as market premium payments. View our senior staff salaries.
  • The appropriate grade for a job is established through a job evaluation process which takes into account the required level of knowledge, skills and accountability required for the role.
  • The lowest point of KCC’s grading structure (Grade KR3) is set such that the hourly rate is above the National Minimum Wage and marginally above the equivalent of the Living Wage Foundations Living Wage.
  • Staff who are new to the organisation must be appointed at the minimum of the grade unless there are exceptional reasons to appoint higher. These must be based on a robust business case in relation to the level of knowledge, skills
    and experience offered by the candidate and consideration is given to the level of salaries of the existing staff to prevent pay inequality. For senior staff, any such business case must be approved by the relevant corporate director.
  • Council signs off the pay structure. The subsequent appointment of individuals, including those receiving salaries in excess of £100,000, is in accordance with the pay structure and the principles outlined in the pay policy. Staff who are promoted should be appointed to the minimum of the grade. However, their pay increase should equate to at least 2.5%.
  • All progression within a grade is subject to performance as assessed through Total Contribution Pay (TCP) process and a percentage awarded for each appraisal level. This applies to all levels in the authority and there are no additional bonus schemes for senior managers.
  • The award for each appraisal rating is set annually following the outcome of the appraisal process.
  • People at the top of their grade have the opportunity to receive a pay award which is consistent with others who have the same appraisal rating. This amount will be paid separately and not built into base pay.
  • The ‘Lowest’ paid employees are defined as those employees on KCC’s lowest grade, KR3. They receive relevant benefits and are remunerated in the same proportionate way as others.
  • The entry level will increase to £23,337 which equates to £12.10 per hour.
  • In order to establish the pay difference and the relative change in pay levels over time, a pay multiplier can be calculated. This is the base pay level of the highest paid employee shown as a multiple of the median Kent Scheme
    salary. This multiplier will be published on our website annually.
  • KCC recognises that managers need to be able to reward performance in a flexible and appropriate way to the particular circumstances.
  • Should it be shown that there is specific recruitment and retention difficulties, the Market Premium Policy may be used to address these issues.
  • The council would not expect the re-engagement of an individual who has left the organisation with a redundancy, retirement or severance package.
  • Managers have delegated powers to make cash awards when necessary and where not covered by any other provision as defined in the Blue Book Kent Scheme Terms and Conditions (PDF, 1016.1 KB). Read more about working for us.
  • Policies about termination payments and employer discretions under the Local Government Pension Scheme will be reviewed and published for all staff. These will be produced with the intention of only making additional payments when in the best interests of the Authority and maintaining consistency through all pay grades. This will continue to be managed through the Human Resources and Organisational Development function and monitored by Personnel Committee.