A COMMITTEE has requested further information before making a decision over whether to recommend controversial pay increases for senior staff at Dorset County Council.

The staffing committee met at the end of May to consider a report by chief executive Debbie Ward after the matter was unanimously sent back by full council. Press and members of the public were not permitted to attend the part of the meeting in which it was discussed, but minutes from the meeting have now been published on the county council’s website.

The report itself has not been published, but the minutes from the meeting reveal that councillors were told of concerns by county council staff over the proposal.

Workers took to an internal messaging service to voice their outrage in April, as reported by the Dorset Echo.

The proposals are to increase pay for heads of services from between £63,348 and £79,714 per year to a chief officer salary of between £80,500 and £91,000.

The chief executive and directors would not be eligible for a pay rise, and the county council has stressed that the increase is ‘almost cost neutral’ because of an outstanding vacancy which has not been filled.

The authority has been criticised for proposing pay hikes at a time when services are being cut due to constrained budgets – but leader of the county council Robert Gould said that the heads of service role has become ‘bigger and more strategic’ over the last decade.

The proposals were originally recommended by the staffing committee. But full council, meeting as protestors took to the steps of county hall to voice their opposition, sent it back for reconsideration by the staffing committee.

It will be discussed again by the staffing committee at its next meeting on July 4 when a decision is expected to be made whether or not to recommend the proposals to full council.

The minutes to the most recent staffing committee state: “The chief executive clarified the decisions which had been made by the committee previously and highlighted that the element which remained to be re-considered was in respect of pay scales for heads of service and the assistant chief executive. She also identified some of the concerns raised by the wider staff group in respect of the pay proposals previously considered by the Committee.

“The committee identified further information to be provided at its next meeting on July 4.”

It does not set out what further information the committee has requested, adding: “The committee noted the process to develop proposals to change the terms and conditions for heads of service to chief officer from Green Book, as previously considered and agreed, and requested a further report at the next meeting on July 4, in order to support consideration of its recommendation to the County Council on July 21.”