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 Arthur and Cllr Vanier.

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 Urgent Business will be dealt with under agenda item 14 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 6 December 2016 and to note for information the minutes of the CEJCC held on 7 November 2016.

The Chief Executive noted, in relation to the minutes of the CEJCC meeting on 7 November, how well the recent voluntary redundancy exercise had been managed, and the HR team were commended Committee on the way in which this process had been run.

The Head of People and Change gave a brief update to the Committee in relation to the VR exercise – there had been 185 applications in total, of which 69 had been accepted immediately, more information had been requested in 21 cases and there had been several withdrawals. The process had run smoothly and had the support of the trade unions, and it was felt that the VR Panel had offered robust challenge to management on their recommendations.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Staffing and Remuneration Committee held on 6 December 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair, and that the minutes of the meeting of the CEJCC held on 7 November 2016 be noted.

Report of the Director of Public Health seeking agreement from the Staff and Remuneration Committee of the changes to the Council’s revised Smoking Policy.

The Committee considered the report on the proposed changes to Haringey Council’s Smoking Policy, as introduced by Deborah Millward, Healthy Public Policy Officer.

The Committee asked about the decision to permit the use of e-cigarettes on outdoor Council properties but not inside. It was reported that the use of e-cigarettes indoors was recognised as a potential irritant, and was also not felt to be professional, however e-cigarettes were recognised as safe, and were therefore permitted outdoors on Council property as a way of encouraging smoking cessation amongst staff and residents.

The Chief Executive noted the inclusion in the policy of a rule that employees must smoke away from residential properties during official unpaid breaks, and suggested that the Committee may wish to write to the residents’ associations around Ringslade Road and Station Road to advise them of this change to the policy. In response to a question from the Committee regarding how this would be enforced, it was reported that Public Health were working with Internal Communications and HR to develop guidance for managers on handling this issue and were also liaising with Facilities Management on how this would be enforced. It was reported that there would be an internal communications campaign on supporting staff to stop smoking and making them aware of the forthcoming changes to the policy, prior to the new policy being introduced and that there would also be a focus on supporting smoking cessation as part of a wider Health and Wellbeing campaign in April 2017.

In response to a question from the Committee, it was reported that the level of smoking amongst Council staff was around 20%, which was slightly higher than the national average.

The Committee asked about the requirement for staff not to be identifiable as Council employees, for example not wearing lanyards whilst smoking. It was confirmed that this related to the launch of the Haringey behaviours, as smoking was not felt to be compatible with professional conduct, and that it needed to be made clear that staff were not at work when smoking.

RESOLVED

That the Committee agree the proposed changes to Haringey Council’s Smoking Policy, to take immediate effect. The proposed revised Smoking Policy was set out at Appendix A to the report to the Committee and the proposed changes included:

·         Not allowing employees to smoke during working hours. If staff wish to smoke they may only do so during unpaid breaks e.g. before and after work and at lunchtime.

·         Permitting the use of e-cigarettes (vaping) on outdoor Council properties.

·         Employees who smoke during official unpaid breaks such as lunchtime must do so away from residential properties and not congregate outside other commercial properties to smoke.

·         Instructing smokers that when smoking during official unpaid breaks they must ensure that they are not identifiable as Council employees e.g. they must not be wearing lanyards and uniform.

Report of the Chief Executive to propose interim arrangements for the discharge of the duties of the Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive pending permanent recruitment to the positions, and also to set out how the £400k from senior management reorganisation as identified in the Council’s MTFS will be achieved.

The Committee considered the report on Senior Management Temporary Arrangements and Savings Update, presented by the Chief Executive. It was noted that the Council’s MTFS identified a saving of £400k from senior management reorganisation; the Chief Executive advised that he would have presented a revised structure for the Committee’s consideration at this meeting, however as he was due to leave the organisation shortly, work had instead been undertaken with HR in order to identify ways of covering this saving in the short term, without fettering the discretion of the incoming Chief Executive. The report also asked the Committee to recommend to Full Council the proposed interim arrangements for the discharge of duties of the Head of Paid Service and Chief Executive, pending permanent recruitment to the positions.

Clerk’s note: where the job title AD Policy and Business Management is referred to in the associated report, this should be amended to read AD – Strategy and Partnerships.

In response to a question from the Committee, it was confirmed that the £400k identified saving related to the 2017/18 financial year; the proposal to hold a number of vacancies at senior manager level was intended to cover this saving in the short term, while giving the incoming Chief Executive flexibility in their approach. The new Chief Executive would be expected to report back to the Staffing and Remuneration Committee with their proposed structure after taking up post.

RESOLVED

That the Committee:

i)             Recommend to Full Council that Zina Etheridge, Deputy Chief Executive, be appointed Interim Head of Paid Service with effect from 1 March 2017 until a permanent appointment to the Chief Executive post in made and the appointee takes up post.

ii)            Note the deletion of the AD Communications post.

iii)           Note the approach to achieving the remaining saving as set out in Section 6 of this report.

iv)           Note that this is a temporary arrangement.

v)            Agree to receiving a noting report back on finalised structure.

Report of the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service for the Committee to approve the parameters for the conduct of the Senior Manager Pay Review for 2017.

The Committee considered the report on the Senior Manager Pay Review – April 2017, as introduced by Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager. The report set out the proposed parameters for the conduct of the Senior Manager Pay Review for 2017 for the Committee’s approval; the Committee would receive a further report in March 2017 on the outcome of this pay review exercise, prior to implementation by payroll in April.

The Chief Executive advised that the previous decision of the Staffing and Remuneration Committee to break with national agreements on senior manager pay was significant and permitted the Council to self-determine in respect of its senior remuneration and to link pay awards with contribution in a meaningful way for senior managers. It was felt that staff were motivated by a desire for recognition of their contribution as well as pay, and that the introduction of the My Conversation process had led to important conversations being held at Senior Leadership Team level and their direct reports in relation to evaluation of contribution.

In response to a question from the Committee regarding the difference between the grids in appendices A and B of the report, it was clarified that appendix A set out the senior manager population as at the previous year, and appendix B was the equivalent cohort at the time of drafting the report.

The Committee asked for clarification of the statement in the report that the pay award budget for senior management was to be constructed in the same way as for the rest of the workforce. The Reward Strategy Manager circulated information to the Committee on the pay award model for the rest of the workforce, which set out the NJC pay award of 1%, applicable to all staff, and the incremental increase which would be received only by those staff who were not currently at the top of they pay scale. This model represented a 2.03% increase on the wage bill for the rest of the workforce overall, and it was proposed to use the same budget for the senior management cohort. Awards for senior managers would be determined by their distribution on the My Conversation grid; where the cost of the awards on this basis would exceed the budget envelope, the awards as set out on the grid would be adjusted downwards until the costs came within the agreed budget.

The Chief Executive advised that the emerging distribution on the My Conversation grid for senior managers, based on conversations held throughout the year, was encouraging and suggested that the process was being undertaken in a meaningful way. The Chair noted that My Conversation was a useful tool for recognising a range of behaviours, and also welcomed the decision to establish the budget for senior manager pay awards on the same basis as the rest of the workforce.

The Committee noted the pay multiple, as set out in the Pay Policy Statement later on the agenda; the Chief Executive expressed some concern regarding the usefulness of the pay  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

Report of the Assistant Director, Transformation and Resources, to consult with Council staff and their representatives on the replacement of the current and historic arrangements of a lump sum and mileage rates based on NJC rates with a single flat rate consistent with HMRC authorised mileage rates.

The Committee considered the report on Reimbursement of Business Mileage, as introduced by Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager. The report sought approval to consult with Council staff and their representatives on the replacement of the current and historic arrangements of a lump sum and mileage rates based on NJC rates, with HMRC authorised mileage rates.

The Committee asked whether the reference to ‘fuel’ as set out in running costs linked to mileage in the report also included electricity for electric vehicles, and also asked what incentives there were for staff to use different forms of transport. It was confirmed that such incentives were something the Council could incorporate into its policy, and that some measures had already been introduced, such as providing Oyster cards for use within some teams in order to promote the use of public transport.

In response to a question from the Committee, it was confirmed that casual car users were currently reimbursed on a claim-only basis, whereas essential users received a lump sum. The Committee asked about the evidence that users were required to provide in order to receive reimbursement, and it was reported that justification for journeys undertaken had to be provided to their line manager for sign-off. The Committee asked about the potential increase in administrative costs in moving to a new arrangement, however it was felt that staff should already be completing the necessary documentation as part of the current process.

It was noted that the Council did not currently have robust baseline data for the amount of journeys different roles would be expected to undertake, and that collection of journey data as part of the claims process was therefore felt to be useful in order to establish this information. It was noted that there were a number of different roles within the organisation which were designated as essential car users, and there was a wide range of different reasons for this designation.

In response to a question from the Committee it was confirmed that consultation on this matter would commence within the next couple of weeks, however it was difficult to commit to a time-scale by which a final model would be agreed. It was noted that a change to the mileage scheme may require changes to employment contracts.

RESOLVED

i)             That the Committee authorise officers to consults with Council staff and their representatives on the replacement of the current and historic arrangements of a lump sum and mileage rates based on NJC rates, with HMRC authorised mileage rates, as set out in Appendix B to the report.

ii)            That officers bring to the Committee for approval a further report setting out the outcome of the consultation and final proposals for the payment of car/van/motorcycle/bicycle allowances to Council employees.

Report of the Assistant Director, Transformation and Resources, for the Committee to consider the draft Pay Policy Statement 2017/18 for remittance to Full Council on 20 March 2017 for endorsement.

The Committee considered the report on the Pay Policy Statement 2017-18, as introduced by Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager. It was noted that this was a statutory report that the Council was required to produce annually, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011. The Committee was requested to approve the Pay Policy Statement and refer it on to Full Council for final approval, and to authorise the AD Transformation and Resources to make such amendments to the statement, in consultation with the Chair of the Staffing and Remuneration Committee, as he considered minor, prior to the statement being recommended to Full Council. It was noted that if any changes were required to the statement after its approval by Full Council, these would need to go back to Full Council for determination.

The Committee in particular noted the “pay multiple” of 1:6.4, being the ratio between the highest paid salary and the median salary of the whole of the Council’s workforce, which was required to be published as part of the statement in accordance with the Localism Act 2011.

RESOLVED

i)             That the Committee approve the draft Pay Policy Statement 2016/17, attached at Appendix A to the report.

ii)            That the Assistant Director of Transformation and Resources be authorised in consultation with the Chair of the Committee to make such amendments to the Pay Policy Statement as he considers minor.

iii)           That the Committee remit the Pay Policy Statement (as amended if applicable) for endorsement by Full Council on 20^th March 2017.

Report of the Assistant Director, Transformation and Resources, to provide the Committee with data relating to the workforce including non-employed workers, equalities and sickness absence data for the period October to December 2016. 

The Committee considered the Performance Management report for Quarter 3, October to December 2016, as presented by Carole Engwell, HR Quality Assurance Manager. It was reported that in the last 12 months the combined saving on agency workers and consultants/interims had totalled £556k, and that it was expected that the next quarter would reflect further savings due to agency staff taking leave over the Christmas period. The Committee noted that there had not been a significant change in the Council’s equality profile, and that a new data capture exercise in Spring/Summer 2017 (associated with a move to e-payslips) would help to improve the baseline workforce data available and address concerns around under-reporting, for example in relation to issues such as disability. The Committee also noted that it was expected for the Council’s headcount to have reduced by 293 by the end of the financial year, representing an approximate 10% reduction in the total workforce during the year.

The Committee noted that there had been an increase in sickness absence of 0.4 days over the past quarter; the increase had been mainly in frontline roles, and it was acknowledged that there was an increased demand on staff working in these areas and consequent stress. It was anticipated that there may be a further increase reported in the next quarter, as this would cover the winter period. The Chief Executive expressed concern with regards to the increase in sickness absence. The Council had managed to reduce the levels of absence over the past three years to close to industry standard (around 7-8 days per year), however an increase in stress-related absences was being reported and this was of concern. The Committee was advised that senior management were looking into ways of addressing this issue; Public Health were introducing mental health training for all managers, and that the Chief Operating Officer was proactively championing the introduction of addition support around mental health issues, and general workforce wellbeing.

It was agreed that the Committee would be provided with a briefing on the provision of mental health support for employees of the Council.

Action: Head of People and Change

In relation to the table of consultants/interims, the Committee requested an additional column to show full-year equivalent costs as well as the costs for actual contract length and it was agreed that this would be included in future reports.

Action: HR Quality Assurance Manager

The Committee noted that the introduction of IR35 may have an impact on the figures relating to consultants/interims in future quarters and it was proposed that a full report on IR35 and its implications be presented to the Committee at its next meeting. One immediate impact was likely to be an increase in the use of short term contracts, and it was noted that there may be a legal issue around identifying whether someone were deemed an employee of the authority and associated indemnification. 

RESOLVED

That the content of the report be noted.

Report of the Assistant Director, Transformation and Resources, to present a number of policies to be recommended by the Council from 8^th February 2017 for adoption by the governing bodies of the community, voluntary controlled, community special and maintained nursery schools which the Council maintains and to be implemented by the Council in respect of any unattached teachers it employs.  The policies for recommendation are as follows:

·           Family friendly suite of policies (incorporating maternity policy, adoption policy, paternitypolicy, sharedparentalleavepolicy, parentalleave policy)

·           Recruitment policy

·           Equality and diversity in employment policy

The Committee considered the report on policies to be recommended by the Council for adoption by the governing bodies of the community, voluntary controlled, community special and maintained nursery schools which the Council maintains and to be implemented by the Council in respect of any unattached teachers it employs. The report was introduced by Victoria Tricarico, Head of People and Change, who outlined the policies for recommendation, namely the Family Friendly policies (incorporating maternity policy, adoption policy, paternity policy, shared parental leave policy, parental leave policy), Recruitment policy and Equality and diversity in employment policy.

In response to a question from the Committee, it was confirmed that these policies applied only to schools and unattached teachers, not Council staff more widely.

The Committee suggested some amendments to the draft wording of the policies as follows:

Family Friendly Policies: Maternity policy

18.3.2 – final sentence to be amended to remove reference to ‘you’ for consistency.

Model recruitment policy

6.3.3 – First sentence to be amended to read “…must advertise a head teacher vacancy…”

6.3.5 – it was felt that the wording of the paragraph should be strengthened so as to make the inclusion of the ‘Positive about disabled people’ logo and statement that they are ‘An Equal Opportunity Employer’ in advertisements a requirement in the model policy. The wording as drafted was felt to be ambiguous.

6.6.6 – final sentence to be amended to read “…if people have not heard within 20 working days/ by the date of the interview…”

The Committee asked what was meant by the term ‘soft information’ in reference to paragraph 4.3 of the model recruitment policy. It was confirmed that this may be information held by the police (for example repeated allegations against a person) which had not led to a conviction and would therefore not be formally disclosable as part of a DBS check, but which it was felt would be relevant to share in relation to recruitment to certain posts, as a safeguarding measure.

The Committee asked about the response to the consultation process. It was reported that there had been a small number of responses, largely seeking points of clarification rather than in objection to the content of the draft policies. The response had generally been positive, and the trade unions had welcomed the changes, in particular the efforts made to make complex areas of policy as clear as possible to staff.

RESOLVED

i)             That the Committee approve the model family friendly, recruitment and equality and diversity in employment policies, attached at Appendix A, B and C, to:-

a)    Be recommended by the Council from 8^th February 2017 for adoption by the governing bodies of the community, voluntary controlled, community special and maintained nursery schools which the Council maintains;

b)  To be implemented by the Council in respect of any unattached teachers it employs from 8^th February 2017.

ii)            That these new policies will replace any existing policies and guidance that is currently in place.

iii)           That the Committee authorise  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

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 Chair noted that this was the last meeting of the Committee that Nick Walkley would be attending as Chief Executive, as he was leaving the authority. The Committee recognised the positive contribution that he had made to the organisation during his time at Haringey, and wished him the best for the future.

The Committee also noted that this was the last meeting to be attended by Victoria Tricarico as Head of People and Change, and thanked her for the valuable work she had undertaken for the organisation as a whole and in support of the work of the Committee in particular.

The meeting closed at 8.25pm.