Fraud investigation and prosecution
The Transparency Code 2015 requires the Council to publish information about fraud prevention. Suspected Housing Benefit fraud is now investigated by the Department of Work and Pension.
- Total number of employees undertaking investigations and prosecutions of fraud - Absolute - 2; Full time equivalent - 1.4
- Total number of professionally accredited counter fraud specialists - Absolute - 1; Full time equivalent - 0.8
- Total amount spent by the authority on the investigation and prosecution of fraud - £49,000 (April 2020 - April 2021)
- Total number of fraud cases investigated - 309 (April 2020 - April 2021)
To report an instance of fraud, please visit the Report Fraud page.
Grants to voluntary and community organisations
All funding which has been allocated is published in Datashare and from February 2021 at Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act
Further information on funding available can be found on the Funding web page.
Land and building assets
Under the Transparency Code 2015, the Council is required to publish details of all land and building assets including:
- all service and office properties occupied or controlled by user bodies, both freehold and leasehold
- any properties occupied or run under Private Finance Initiative contracts
- all other properties they own or use, for example, hostels, laboratories, investment properties and depots
- garages unless rented as part of a housing tenancy agreement
- surplus, sublet or vacant properties
- undeveloped land
- serviced or temporary offices where contractual or actual occupation exceeds three months
- all future commitments, for example under an agreement for lease, from when the contractual commitment is made.
Work is currently in progress to create a database for the publishing of the Council's land and assets, which will be published on this page in due course. In the meantime if you have a query regarding the data please email enquiries@brentwood.gov.uk
Parking account and spaces
The Transparency Code requires local authorities to publish information about parking accounts, Penalty Charge Notice revenue collected and controlled parking spaces.
On-street parking account
On-street parking enforcement and on-street parking provision is the responsibility of Essex County Council (ECC), the Highway Authority. ECC have delegated this function to the South Essex Parking Partnership (SEPP) Joint Committee who deliver this function on behalf of ECC via an agency agreement.
SEPP consists of the Boroughs, Districts and City Councils from Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Maldon and Rochford. SEPP holds a single parking account which is the responsibility of the Joint Committee. The Joint Committee is responsible for how any surplus or deficit is managed. All surpluses are managed as per Section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act (RTRA) 1984.
The parking enforcement activity in Brentwood contributes to the overall SEPP single parking account. Brentwood Borough Council has no direct control of this account.
The SEPP Joint Committee produces an annual report which provides a breakdown of the enforcement activity and financial performance in each of the partner areas.
South Essex Parking Partnership
Off Street Parking Account 2020/21
Income £1,003,000
Expenditure £1,030,000
Deficit £27,000
Where there is a surplus from the parking account, this is used to help fund other street scene services, in particular vehicle fleet management.
Please note: The data above can be viewed and/or downloaded via DataShare and Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act
Parking spaces
| Controlled parking spaces off-street | No. of car parks | No. of spaces |
|---|---|---|
| Surface Car Parks | 10 | 1048 |
| Multi-Storey Car Park | 1 | 543 |
Further information on off-street parking spaces, including the availability of free parking spaces, can be found on the Car Parks page.
Payments to suppliers
All councils are required to publish details of single transactions that are greater than or equal to £500. To provide greater transparency, as of April 2013, we now publish all of our payments to suppliers, including those below £500.
Please note: Data from April 2013 and onwards can be viewed and/or downloaded via DataShare and from February 2021 Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act
Publication of this data forms part of the Council's commitment to transparency and openness with the residents of Brentwood Borough.
If there are any queries regarding any of the payments please email creditors@brentwood.gov.uk. We will endeavour to answer queries within 5 working days but it may be necessary to make further enquiries within the Council which may take a little longer.
Please note that although we aim to be as transparent as we can, in certain cases we will need to respect information that could be seen as commercially sensitive.
Procurement card purchases
Data since April 2013 is available to view and download via DataShare and from February 2021 Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act
Publication of this data forms part of the Council's commitment to transparency and openness with the residents of Brentwood Borough.
If there are any queries regarding any of the payments please email creditors@brentwood.gov.uk. We will endeavour to answer queries within 5 working days but it may be necessary to make further enquiries within the Council, which may take a little longer.
Procurement information
Details of Brentwood Borough Council contracts can be viewed and are available to download from the Council's information database DataShare and from February 2021 Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act
For details of current competitive tenders and quotations please go to the Tender and Quotation Opportunities web page.
Pay policy and gender pay gap
Pay policy
The objectives of this policy are to ensure a capable and high performing workforce in respect of all employees so remuneration is set sufficient to attract and retain adequately experienced, trained and qualified individuals to deliver the Council's priorities.
We also ensure simplicity, clarity and fairness between employees and between the Council and the community.
The Pay Policy reported on:
- The level and elements of remuneration of chief officers
- The remuneration of the lowest paid employees
- The relationship between chief officers remuneration and that of other officers
Section 38 (1) of the Localism Act 2011 requires all English and Welsh Councils to produce a Pay Policy Statement for 2012/13 and for each financial year thereafter. Regard is to be had to any guidance from the Secretary of State in producing this statement.
The pay policy statement:
- Must be approved formally by the Full Council
- Must be approved by the end of March each year
- May be amended during the course of the financial year
- Must be published on the Council’s website
The statutory pay policy statement must include the Council’s policy on the level and elements of remuneration of chief officers, the remuneration of the lowest paid employees and the relationship between chief officers remuneration and that of other officers.
Full details may be found in the Pay Policy Statement 2021-22 pdf
Gender pay gap
From 2017, any organisation that has 250 or more employees must publish and report specific figures about their gender pay gap.
The gender pay gap is the difference between the average earnings of men and women, expressed relative to men’s earnings.
The figures are calculated using a specific reference date. For public sector organisations, this is 31 March and figures must be published within a year of this date.
Employer’s must both:
- Publish their gender pay gap on their public-facing website
- Report their data to government online
Each year, our results will be published on the Datashare section of our website, and on the government gender pay gap reporting service.
View Brentwood Borough Council results: DataShare - Gender Pay Gap
View: Brentwood Borough Council's Gender Pay Gap Statement March 2021 pdf
You are able to view the results for other organisations on the Gov.uk website: Gov.uk Gender Pay Gap Search
Senior officer salaries
As part of the Statements of Accounts, which are published annually, are the details of the gross remuneration of all Council officers who received more than £50,000 in that financial year.
Table 1
| Post | Note | Salary, Fees and Allowances | Bonuses | Compensation for loss of Office | Employer’s Pension contribution | Total |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Chief Executive | 125,000 | 0 | 0 | 23,738 | 148,738 | |
| Strategic Director (Deputy Chief Executive) (from 1 Nov 2020) | 1 | 33,999 | 0 | 0 | 6,766 | 40,765 |
| Corporate Director (Planning & Environment) (from 1 Nov 2020) | 2 | 28,252 | 0 | 0 | 5,622 | 33,874 |
| Corporate Director (Housing & Community Safety) (from 1 Nov 2020) | 2 | 28,652 | 0 | 0 | 5,052 | 33,704 |
| Corporate Director (Environment & Communities) (from 1 Nov 2020) | 2 | 28,252 | 0 | 0 | 5,622 | 33,874 |
| Corporate Director (Digital & Customer Engagement) (from 1 Feb 2020) | 3 | 11,301 | 0 | 0 | 2,249 | 13,550 |
| Corporate Director (Finance & Resources) - S151 Officer (from 1 Nov 2020) | 4 |
33,208 | 0 | 0 |
6,608 |
39,816 |
| Corporate Director (Law & Governance) - Monitoring Officer (from 1 Nov 2020) | 4 | 33,208 | 0 | 0 | 6,608 | 39,816 |
| Chief Operating Officer (up to 31 Oct 2020) | 44,518 | 0 | 0 | 8,550 | 53,131 | |
| Director of Planning & Economy (up to 31 Oct 2020) | 37,542 | 0 | 0 | 7,471 | 45,013 | |
| Director of Commercial Services (up to 30 Apr 2020) | 5 | 8,738 | 0 | 0 | 1,327 | 10,065 |
| Director of Housing & Enforcement (up to 31 Oct 2020) | 38,102 | 0 | 0 | 7,582 | 45,685 | |
| Director of Environment (up to 31 Oct 2020) | 37,542 | 0 | 0 | 7,471 | 45,013 | |
| Director of Corporate Resources (s151 Officer) (up to 31 Oct 2020) | 44,581 | 0 | 0 | 8,872 | 53,452 | |
| Director of Law & Governance (Monitoring Officer) (up to 31 Oct 2020) | 42,915 | 0 | 0 | 8,540 | 51,455 | |
| Total | 575,872 | 0 | 0 | 112,078 | 687,950 |
Remuneration paid to Council's senior employees during 2020/21
Notes
- Strategic Director (Deputy Chief Executive). The postholder was in post from 1 November 2020. The annualised salary of this post is £81,598. There was also a second Strategic Director post, which was vacant during the year.
- Corporate Directors (Planning & Economy, Housing & Community Safety, Environment & Communities) Each of the postholders were in post from 1 November 2020 and each post has an annualised salary of £67,805. The Corporate Director (Housing & Community Safety) receives an annual car allowance of £960.
- Corporate Director (Digital & Customer Engagement). This a 2 year fixed term position, which was recruited to with effect from 1 February 2021. The annualised salary is £67,805.
- Corporate Directors (Finance & Resources - S151 Officer and Law & Governance - Monitoring Officer) Both of the post holders were in post from 1 November 2020. The annualised salary for both positions is £74,698 and as statutory roles, both attract an additional £5,000 annual allowance.
- Director of Commercial Services The postholder was in post until 30 April 2020. The annualised salary was £80,000
List 1
Salaries £50,000 p.a. and above (gross) as at 31 March 2021
Senior management
- Chief Executive, Jonathan Stephenson - £125,000
- Strategic Director (Deputy Chief Executive), Steve Summers - £81,598
- Corporate Director of Finance and Resources (Section 151 Officer), Jacqueline van Mellaerts - £79,698
- Corporate Director of Law and Governance (Monitoring Officer), Amanda Julian - £79,698
- Corporate Director of Planning & Economy, Philip Drane - £67,805
- Corporate Director of Housing & Community Safety, Tracey Lilley - £67,805
- Corporate Director of Environment and Communities, Greg Campbell - £67,805
- Corporate Director of Digital and Customer Engagement, Sarah Bennett - £67,805
Other
- Electoral Services Manager - £59,183
- Corporate Finance Manager - £56,316
- Environmental Health Manager - £55,148
- ICT Manager - £56,316
- Housing Services Manager - £56,316
- Partnership Leisure and Funding Manager - £56,316
- Operations Manager - £53,442
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | |
| Remuneration Band | Number of Employees | Number of Employees |
| £50,000 - £54,999 | 6 | 1 |
| £55,000 - £59,999 | 3 | 6 |
| £60,000 - £64,999 | 0 | 0 |
| £65,000 + | 0 | 0 |
Costs of temporary, consultant and interim staff which include agency fees totalling more than £50,000 in 2020/21:
- Senior Planner - DHGV - £123,155
- Project Lead - DHGV - £104,674
- Interim Finance Manager - £91,888
- Environmental Health Officer - £83,822
- Housing System Manager - £83,040
- Investment & Asset Management Consultant - £82,983
- Associate Consultant Planner - £78,541
- Executive Business Consultant - £77,504
- Principal Conservation & Urban Design - £68,869
- Legal consultant - £66,446
- Senior Planning officer - £59,785
- Planning enforcement officer - £59,039
The Council may use consultants for their expertise to reduce costs - through delivering better working practices and helping us make savings. Specialist support is also critical when expertise is not immediately available in-house.
Temporary support is also invaluable when an issue being addressed is of limited duration and we only need to buy-in support for a fixed period.
The headline cost of temporary staff tends to be higher than for permanent staff but there are financial advantages in using this type of staff. It is estimated that hidden costs can add 30% to the cost of a permanent member of staff. Temporary staff are not paid these hidden costs such as pension contributions sick pay, training, payment for public holidays or redundancy.
We can also use temporary staff when recruitment process are taking place and cover needs to be provided or for staff absences, such as covering maternity leave, but we don't use temporary staff to service such gaps in our workforce on an ongoing basis.
Local councillors
Information on local councillors can be found by following the links below:
Social housing assets
The Transparency Code 2015 requires the Council to publish information about its Social Housing Assets.
Details of the Council's Social Housing Assets can be viewed and is available to download from the Council's information database DataShare and from February 2021 Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act
Trade union facility time
Brentwood Borough Council recognises the importance of working with Trades Unions to promote good industrial relations and to comply with the principles set out in the Trades Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Act 1993.
Under the Transparency Code 2015, the Council is required to publish information relating to Trade Union Facility Time.
Trade Union facility time: 1st April 2019 – 31 March 2020
| Number of employees who were relevant union officials during the relevant period: | 1 |
| Full time equivalent employee number | 0.045 |
| Percentage of time | Number of employees |
| 0% | 0 |
| 1-50% | 1 |
| 51-99% | 0 |
| 100% | 0 |
Percentage of time spent on facility time
| Total cost of facility time | £277 |
| Total pay bill | 9,202,991 |
| Percentage of the total pay bill spent on facility time | 0.003 |
Percentage of pay bill spent on facility time
| Time spent on paid trade union activities as a percentage of total paid facility time | 0 |
Paid trade union activities
Waste contract
Under the Transparency Code 2015, local authorities are required to publish information relating to their existing waste collection contracts.
The Council does not have an external household collection contract, as collections are a service provided by the Council. Information on the Council's contracts for waste disposal can be found in the General Information category in DataShare and from February 2021 Brentwood Council Document Library - Transparency Act
See Waste and Recycling for more information on the Council's refuse and recycling services.