Agenda and minutes

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein’.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Elliott.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items of unrestricted Urgent Business will be dealt with under agenda item 19 below, new items of exempt urgent business will be considered at agenda item 21 below).

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, paragraph 29 of the Council’s constitution.

There were no such items.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 14 September 2015 and the minutes of the special meeting of the Committee held on 5 November 2015.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14^th September be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service to provide feedback to the Committee regarding the consultation with senior managers on the new senior managers’ pay and grading arrangements.

The Committee considered the report on the new senior managers’ pay and grading arrangements, presented by the Chief Executive. The report gave an update on the outcome of the consultation process agreed at the previous meeting, and recommended that the changes proposed be implemented.

The Committee welcomed the greater democratic control that the proposals entailed. In response to a question regarding the type of roles that came under the ‘Senior Professional’ heading, it was reported that this would encompass specialist roles such as planners, social workers and finance staff. In respect of the need for a detailed financial evaluation to confirm the affordability of the proposals as set out in the comments of the Chief Finance Officer, the Chief Executive advised that it was proposed that this be undertaken in January 2016. In response to a question regarding the timescale for implementation, it was anticipated that the new contracts would be implemented by April 2016.

Cllr Gideon Bull was in attendance at the meeting and asked a question regarding the reasons for difficulty in recruitment and retention of senior staff. The Chief Executive advised that there were a number of factors, including the wider financial climate in Local Government, a reputational legacy in Haringey and further work that was required in respect of  offering flexibility and the ability to develop a career here. It was reported that a more robust approach to undertaking and analysing exit interviews was being adopted, and that the recent work to develop specialist senior manager contracts (which formed an item later on the agenda) should also help to address recruitment and retention issues.

In response to a question from the Committee, it was confirmed that the new pay bands were broadly in line with the current pay bands; Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager, gave an overview of the new structure and advised that the proposals remained the same as those the Committee had been briefed on earlier in the year. The Chief Executive advised that in the coming year the data from the My Conversation process would enable the Council to better evaluate individual contributions.

RESOLVED

i)             That the Staffing and Remuneration Committee note the successful conduct and satisfactory outcome of the consultation regarding the Senior Pay Principles and Grading Structure.

ii)            That the new Senior Managers Pay and Grading Structure, as detailed in Appendix B, be agreed with effect from the 1 April 2016.

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service for the Committee to agree the new Senior Manager Employment Contract to be issued for comment to all senior managers,

The Committee considered the report on the Senior Manager Employment Contract, as presented by the Chief Executive. The report set out the background to the proposed new contract, and recommended that the proposed new employment contract be issued for comment to all senior managers. It was felt that it was important to bring this report to a public meeting, as part of the Council’s commitment to transparency.

Looking at the wording of the draft contract, the Committee suggested that the wording in the first sentence of paragraph 3.1 could be strengthened; it was suggested that the word ‘encouraged’ could be amended to ‘supported’ such that the sentence would begin ‘The Executive agrees to work and will support others to work in accordance with the current written values “Our Values” of the Council…’

Action – AD Human Resources

The Committee asked about the Normal Hours section of the contract and the agreement that the 48 hours working week restriction did not apply. It was noted that this ensured from the outset that the contracts explicitly enabled the flexibility associated with certain specific duties required of senior managers.

RESOLVED

That the Committee:

i)             Agrees the new Senior Manager Employment Contract, attached at Appendix A to the report, to be issued for comment to all senior managers;

ii)            Notes that there will be a slightly varied version for the Chief Executive, to reflect the fact that there are different line management arrangements, which will be issued by the Leader of the Council to the Chief Executive for comment;

iii)           Notes that the final version of the Senior Management Employment Contract is to be brought back to the Committee on the 26 January 2016 for approval, to be issued to all senior managers apart from the Chief Executive to take effect from 1 April 2016;

iv)           Notes that the final version of the employment contract for the Chief Executive is to be brought back to the Committee on the 26 January 2016 for approval, to be issued to the Chief Executive to take effect from 1 April 2016.

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service for the Committee to note the revised senior management structure.

The Committee considered the report on the outcome of the Tier 3 review, presented by the Chief Executive. It was noted that this was an important piece of work that would clarify the structure of the organisation at Heads of Service level and would ensure a good understanding of the capabilities of the individuals within this management cohort, and enable further development opportunities to be identified. It was reported that this exercise would also provide a useful benchmark of where the Council was as an organisation.

The Committee welcomed this piece of work, and requested that analysis of the information coming out of the assimilation development interview question and answer sessions be undertaken; it was agreed that this would be very useful.

In response to a question from the Committee regarding the 26 staff earning more than £100k, which consisted of the current senior leadership team and assistant directors (tiers 1 and 2), it was reported that this number would remain the same following the move to the new structure, however those staff would be assimilated into the new pay and grading arrangements. There was no proposal to increase the number of staff at tiers 1 and 2. It was noted that the number of tier 3 officers under the new structure was 63, a significant reduction on the number of posts at this level three years previously. The Chief Executive noted that it was a very significant and positive step that the Council now had a full complement of permanent appointments at assistant director level.

The Committee asked how the new structure compared with other local authorities in respect of the numbers of senior staff and the pay banding. Jacquie McGeachie, Assistant Director of Human Resources, advised that the salary structure had been based on significant benchmarking data and the new structure was broadly in the middle compared with other London boroughs.

It was agreed that the current Council organogram, including names of post-holders would be circulated for information.

RESOLVED

That the revised senior management Structure Charts at Appendix A to the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Children’s Services for the Committee to note the implementation of the recruitment and retention monetary reward as previously delegated by the Committee, to agree a recruitment and retention monetary reward to take effect from 1 January 2016 and to agree further incentives and initiatives to improve the recruitment and retention offer for social workers in Haringey.

The Committee considered the report on the Children’s Services Recruitment and Retention Offer, as introduced by Jon Abbey, Director of Children’s Services. Andy Briggs, Interim AD Business and Resources, gave a presentation outlining the benchmarking findings and feedback for recruitment and retention incentives, quotes from the Haringey CYPS Social Work survey 2015, staffing statistics, the financial and non-financial benefits of the proposed offer, implementation methods and costs, other proposed  recruitment and retention initiatives and performance indicators. The Interim AD Business and Resources also circulated some draft promotional recruitment brochures to the Committee for reference.

The Committee felt that this was a positive piece of work, and welcomed the focus on non-financial benefits as well as financial benefits. The Committee asked about the decision of Enfield to withdraw their social work recruitment and retention benefits, and noted that there was as yet no information and that this would be closely monitored. The Committee asked about caseloads, as this was known to be an important factor in social work recruitment and retention, in response to which the Director of Children’s Services acknowledged that this was a very important factor and that benchmarking of caseloads was currently being undertaken. It was noted that there was a cost implication associated with lower caseloads and that it was therefore essential to find a suitable balance.

The Committee asked whether introducing such incentives for children’s social workers would have a knock-on effect in adult social care, however it was reported that the recruitment issues facing adults social workers were significantly smaller than those in children’s services and that only a small number of local authorities had schemes in place specifically targeted at adults social workers. The Interim AD Business and Resources advised that there were other options available in respect of recruitment to adults social care, which had already been exhausted in relation to children’s social care.

In response to a question from the Committee regarding proposals for a scholarship scheme and how this would be funded, it was reported that discussions were taking place around the possibility of asking organisations with significant contracts with the Council to consider funding scholarship places. It was noted that it would be important to introduce controls to ensure that people stayed working for the Council for a period after their training was completed, and that this could be a cost-effective way of attracting and retaining talented individuals for several years.

It was noted that there were concerns around introducing such measures in the current climate of reduced resources, however there were clear issues which it was essential to address. The Committee requested a review of the effectiveness of the measures in January 2017, and that a report be brought to the Committee before that time, setting out the scope and methodology of how this review would be undertaken. The Director of Children’s Services advised that it was hoped that with the assistance of such measures, the Council could achieve a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted and could then become increasingly  ...  view the full minutes text for item 126.

Report of the Assistant Director, Public Health, to discuss and endorse proposed measures and targets set for the Workforce Health and Wellbeing Strategy implementation over the next three years.

The Committee considered the report on monitoring the success of the Workforce Health and Wellbeing Strategy, presented by Tamara Djuretic, Assistant Director of Public Health. The report gave details of the three proposed overall outcomes measures: overall reduction in sickness absence, reduction in work related injuries and illnesses and improved mental health and wellbeing of all staff.

The Committee asked how confident the Council could be in the findings from the stress assessment tool, given the low response rate, in response to which the Assistant Director of Public Health advised that the information reflected broader trends, and was felt to reflect the current situation reasonably accurately. It was noted that the response rate was in line with other organisations.

The Committee felt that incorporating the Warwick Edinburgh Wellbeing survey question as part of the wider staff survey would be a useful exercise, but also requested the inclusion of an additional question relating to how well management supported staff in relation to mental health issues. The Committee also felt that it would be useful to analyse the results of these questions in the survey by service area in order to identify areas where there may be specific issues that needed to be addressed. It was agreed that this would be useful, however there was a need to be careful in respect of confidentiality where service areas were very small, and this would need to be taken into consideration.

The Assistant Director of Public Health gave an overview of the mental health awareness training provided for managers, which was followed up with group therapy where a specific need was identified. In response to a question from the Committee it was confirmed that the management training was not compulsory, but was being promoted by the Chief Operating Officer. 

In response to a question from the Committee, it was confirmed that the Workforce Health and Wellbeing Strategy covered all staff working on the Council’s behalf, including Homes for Haringey, and those working for external contractors under a TUPE arrangement. It was reported that the Council was working to ensure that all of those staff had access to the same training and services as those staff directly employed by the Council. The Committee agreed that this was an important issue, and the Assistant Director of Human Resources agreed that this would be taken into consideration as part of future TUPE agreements.

RESOLVED

That the proposed measures and targets set for the Workforce Health and Wellbeing Strategy implementation over the next three years be endorsed, with the inclusion of a separate question in the staff survey around management support of mental health issues.

Report of the Assistant Director, Human Resources, to provide the Committee with data regarding the workforce, including non-employed workers, absence rates and equalities data for the period July to September 2015.

The Committee considered the report on People Management Data, presented by Jacquie McGeachie, Assistant Director of Human Resources. In respect of actions taking place to reduce spend on consultants, interims and agency staff, it was reported that the Chief Executive had met with all assistant directors to look at ways of reducing the use of interims, and that a procurement exercise had been undertaken resulting in a pay rate reduction for the majority of consultants from 1 September 2015. The Chief Operating Officer had also issued an instruction for interims to take the three day break between Christmas and New Year.

The Committee expressed concern at some of the longer-term consultants set out in the report, particularly in IT Services. The Chief Executive advised that IT was a specialist area that was very difficult to recruit to, and that Cabinet would be considering proposals in the New Year to look at alternative ways of delivering these services, which would help address the issue of dependence on agency staff.

The Committee noted that it was important for them to have the opportunity to see this data, and to have a discussion with officers around the issues arising. It was suggested that it would be useful for the report to include gross cost figures, for even greater transparency. The Committee felt that overall things were moving in a positive direction, however the Council was not yet where it would wish to be in terms of figure around consultants, interims and agency staff.

The Chief Executive acknowledged that there were concerns around recruitment issues, for example in children’s social work, as discussed earlier on the agenda, leading to a dependency on agency staff, and that these pressures would continue to cause the figures to fluctuate. It was also felt that there was further opportunity to reduce the costs associated with the use of agency staff. In response to a request from the Committee, the Chief Executive agreed that a breakdown of spend by service area on agency staff and consultants and interims would be provided and it was noted that all service areas had a target for where they should be in a year’s time. In response to a question from the Committee regarding whether Haringey’s spend on agency staff and consultants was in line with other local authorities, it was reported that this was difficult to assess, as such figures were inevitably affected by significant transformation programmes.

The Committee welcomed Dan Hawthorn, Assistant Director for Regeneration, to the meeting to give an overview of the use of consultants and interims in his service area, and the actions taken to monitor and manage this.

Mr Hawthorn advised that the use of consultants and interim staff in his area of responsibility could be broadly divided in two – on the Housing side, significant changes had been taking place; a review of the purpose, function and structure of that team was due for completion shortly, and a new Housing Strategy was also currently under  ...  view the full minutes text for item 128.

Report of the Chief Operating Officer to advise the Committee on the Homes for Haringey TUPE transfer.

The Committee considered the report in respect of the Homes for Haringey TUPE transfer, presented by the Assistant Director of Human Resources. Further to the production of the report, the Committee was advised that the trade unions had identified an agreement adopted in 2006 which they proposed to use as the basis for the current negotiations, and further discussions around the transfer of staff to Homes for Haringey would be held with the Council and Employee Joint Consultative Committee in January 2016. In response to a question from the Committee, it was noted that these ongoing discussions would not affect the recent transfer of Facilities Management staff to Amey.

The Committee noted that the draft Statement of Practice appended to the report would be subject to significant further change following the production of the agreement dating to 2006 by the trade unions, but it was recommended that any emerging Statement of Practice should include explicit reference to local residents.

RESOLVED

That the content of the report be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Human Resources, to inform the Committee of details of the organisational restructures undertaken by Assistant Directors across the organisation during this financial year.

The Committee noted the report on the summary of organisational restructures and creation of new posts in April to September 2015, presented by the Assistant Director of Human Resources. It was proposed that the Committee receive such reports on a regular basis in order to keep them informed of changes to the organisational restructures that were taking place.

In response to a question from the Committee, in respect of posts deleted it was agreed that future reports would include information on the number of staff members redeployed, the number of voluntary redundancies and compulsory redundancies, and the number of deleted posts that had previously been vacant or filled by agency staff.

The Committee felt that it was useful to have a report pulling all of this information together and for this information to be in the public domain.

RESOLVED

That the content of the report be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Human Resources, for the Committee to consider the recommendations and proposed action plan arising from the review into the council’s equality practices and its overall compliance with the Equality Act and Public Sector Duty.

The Committee considered the report on the Diversity Action Plan, presented by the Assistant Director of Human Resources. The full report produced by ENEI was appended to the Committee report, and the Committee was advised that the HR Policy Manager, Julie Amory, had been working through the review document in order to pull out the key themes, which were set out at paragraph 6.4 of the covering report. The Committee noted that work on taking forward the recommendations, including the planning and prioritisation of actions, was being led by a cross-council project group. It was noted that greater detail was needed in respect of how the recommendations would be implemented and that the project group would be looking at this in January 2016.

It was noted that the Committee would receive regular reports on this work, and it was suggested that the next report should focus on the seven common themes identified in the report and the actions associated with those. The project group would be meeting every six weeks throughout 2016 and the Committee felt that it would be useful to get feedback from these meetings on a regular basis. The Committee also suggested that it would be useful to get an idea of the relative weighting of the issues in order to assist with prioritisation.

The Committee emphasised that ensuring this work was properly embedded would be the key to developing this work fully; linking the actions arising from the recommendations with the current organisational changes would help to ensure that they were embedded in any new arrangements from the outset. It was also noted that it was still important to address any issues relating to equality and diversity that were not explicitly set out in the action plan, and not to limit work only to those issues covered in this review. The Committee noted that consideration would need to be given to the full range of potential actions as part of its response to the emerging action plan.

It was reported that a further update would be presented to the Committee in March 2016.

RESOLVED

That the proposed draft action plan attached at Appendix 2 to the report be noted, and that it also be noted that the recommendations and draft action plan would be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 17^th December 2015.

Report of the Assistant Director, Human Resources, to amend the Restructure Policy and the Redeployment Policy.

The Committee considered the report on updates to the restructure policy and redeployment policy, presented by the Assistant Director of Human Resources. It was noted that the amendments proposed were minor changes relating to staff on parental leave, and had arisen from recent case law.

RESOLVED

That the Committee note the content of the report and approve the amendments detailed therein.

Report of the Assistant Director, Human Resources to inform the Committee of the reports detailed on the Forward Plan until the end of the municipal year.

The Committee considered the report on the Staffing and Remuneration Committee Forward Plan to March 2016, presented by the Assistant Director of Human Resources.

RESOLVED

That the Forward Plan be noted.

To consider any new items of urgent business admitted by the Chair under agenda item 3 above.

There were no new items of urgent business.

The following item is likely to be the subject of a motion to exclude the press and public from the meeting as it contains exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 – paragraph 1; namely information relating to an individual.

RESOLVED

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item, as it contained exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 – paragraph 1; namely information relating to an individual.

To consider and approve the exempt minutes of the special meeting of the Staffing and Remuneration Committee held on 5 November 2015.

RESOLVED

That the exempt minutes of the special meeting of the Staffing and Remuneration Committee held on 5 November 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider any items admitted under agenda item 3.

There were no new items of exempt urgent business.

The meeting closed at 9.30pm.