Pay
Pay and grading structure
Why we need a new pay and grading structure
Our workforce is currently made up of colleagues from preceding councils, or new colleagues employed since 1 April 2019. This means that there may be colleagues paid different salaries for doing the same or similar jobs.
When colleagues transferred from preceding councils into BCP Council, previous salaries and terms and conditions were protected under TUPE regulations which protect your rights as an employee. However, equal pay legislation means we must ensure equal pay for equal work, and whilst TUPE may be a temporary justification for different pay rates it cannot continue indefinitely.
Therefore, it is essential we develop a pay structure that is fair to all colleagues and an attractive and affordable single set of terms and conditions for the future. By doing so, we can attract and retain the skills and talent we need to continue delivering the best possible services to our customers.
Who is included in the changes
All our employees (permanent, fixed term, variable and casual hours) and colleagues in support roles within LEA maintained schools where BCP Council is the employer.
Soulbury officers will remain on their current pay and nationally agreed pay structure but will be subject to our new terms and conditions. Teaching colleagues will remain on their current teachers’ pay and terms and conditions.
How the roles have been evaluated
Role profiles have been created and evaluated using the Hay job evaluation methodology. This places a much stronger emphasis on describing accountabilities, know-how and problem-solving, rather than listing tasks and activities as normally seen in job descriptions.
For more information about the evaluation scheme, please read our FAQs or the Pay and Grading booklet.
Pay and grading
The pay and grading structure has been negotiated, along with new terms and conditions, in a collective bargaining process with our trade union colleagues.
The pay structure will be introduced at the point of Pay and Reward’s implementation, over a four-year phased period. This is to ensure that we can move to a pay structure that does not allow for overlap in bands from April 2028 onwards.
The lowest pay band in the pay structure is paid in line with the Real Living Wage and will be subject to annual review. New colleagues joining BCP Council should be appointed at the lowest spinal column point (SCP) of the pay band unless there are exceptional circumstances.
A table showing the pay structure and pay bands up to 1 April 2028 is shown in our Pay and Grading booklet.
Appeals process
We have taken great care to ensure that job evaluation has been fair, transparent, and consistent.
You cannot appeal your role profile at this stage. However, if you disagree with the role profile you have been matched to, you will have an opportunity to log an appeal.
If you have any issues accessing these PDFs ask your line manager for the information in a more accessible format.
Additional pay allowance calculator
Some colleagues may have contractual requirements which attract additional pay allowances. We have created an additional allowance calculator and guidance on how to use it.