The Coalition Government has specified that Local Authorities should become more transparent, and as part of this transparency agenda, it is required that Sandwell Council publishes certain information about itself and its business. It is the Governments view that this will lead to improved accountability as authorities are held to account for the way they spend public money.
The main intention behind the policy is to show:
- the remuneration of members of the organisation's senior management,
- the extent of the organisation's establishment.
As part of the agenda, Local Authorities are required to produce an annual Pay Policy Statement. The first such statement was approved by the Council on 6th March 2012. Other information regarding the pay of senior staff is also included within the Statement of Accounts.
The organisation
The guidance also requires that the council should include some contextual background information. Such as information about the scale of the authority in terms of employment levels, expenditure, and service responsibilities.
Some of this information is already documented within other areas of the Sandwell website, such as the annual Statement of Accounts.
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough, formed in 1974, and made up of six towns - Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. Currently Sandwell has a population of 316,720 and is culturally diverse. The challenges that face the borough are mainly around health and social care, unemployment, the levels of deprivation, and the standards of social housing. These challenges are reflected in the priorities in our business plan.
A set of shared priorities have been identified for Sandwell that support the borough's overall vision of 'Great People, Great Place, Great Prospects and Great Perfomance'.
Our shared priorities are:
- Active and well people
- A safe and clean Place to live
- Educated and skilled people in employment
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is responsible for ensuring that its business is conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards, and that public money is safeguarded and properly accounted for, and used economically, efficiently and effectively. The council also has a duty under the Local Government Act 1999 to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
The council employs 10,244 members of staff (7,714 full time equivalent, FTE), and for the financial year 2015/16, the authority has set a net expenditure budget of £257m.
If you have any queries, please contact us on 0121 569 3553.