Agenda and draft 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.

None.

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 below).

None.

None.

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

None.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2018.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2018 be approved as a correct record.

Julie Amory, HR Business Partner, informed the Committee that she was working with Fiona Dwyer in relation to implementing the Violence Against Women and Girls policy in schools.  Further information would be provided to a future meeting.

Mark Rudd, Assistant Director for Corporate Resources, informed the Committee that there had not been a formal consultation on the structure of the regeneration team, and he would ensure that the HR Business Partner kept the Committee Chair informed of the process. He confirmed that it was council policy that staff in acting up positions could only be confirmed in such positions if they were successful in competitive recruitment. In response to a question from Cllr Brabazon he confirmed that there would be national advertisement.

The report provides the Committee with the updated Model Schools Pay policy forapproval.

Julie Amory, HR Business Partner, introduced the report as set out.  The main changes were in detailed in exempt appendix four.  The information would be made available to all school staff, regardless of whether they subscribed to Haringey’s policies.   

In response to questions from the Committee, it was explained that the additional allowances were paid to staff depending on extra duties carried out in addition to teaching work.  Academies did not need to follow the pay scales set by Haringey schools, and would tend to set their pay scales higher than a local authority for senior posts.

RESOLVED that the updated Model Schools Pay policy for September 2018 be approved, and adoption to Haringey maintained schools be recommended.

The report is to inform the Committee of the process for agenda planning and to notify Members of the reports to be brought to Committee from December 2018 onwards. 

The Chair led the discussion on the HR Forward Plan.

Transgender policy – the date of discussion of the report should be changed to ‘to be agreed’, as it would be prudent to await the outcome of the Gender Recognition Act consultations and legislation.

Review of Recruitment and Retention in Children’s Services – further work was required on looking at the barriers to permanent employment, and the potential for training existing members of staff looking to change career paths and entering social work.  It was also important to identify a strategy for bringing social workers ‘in house’. A report would be provided at the December meeting.

The Committee requested that a guidance document be developed for Members in relation to senior officer appointments and be added to the work programme, and that an update on the Apprenticeship Levy be provided at the December meeting.

The Committee discussed the development of the Workforce Plan and noted that the plan needs to include diversity, local recruitment, more agile workforce and recruitment of under 25s.  The plan will be presented to the Committee once agreed.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The report outlines the background to the review of HR policies currently being undertaken, the progress made to date and the planned timetable to complete the review.

Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager, introduced the report as set out.  Progress had been made on reviewing the grievance policy, and it was likely that the next policy for review would be the code of conduct.  The approach for selecting policies for review would be on a needs basis.

In regard to the grievance policy, it was important that it was reviewed as currently HR received on average one grievance per week.  There were missed opportunities to resolve many of these informally, and so reviewing the policy would encourage informal mediation before a formal grievance was lodged.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The purpose of this report is to provide an update to the Staffing and Remuneration Committee regarding the implementation of the new pay and grading arrangements for the rest of the workforce, i.e. those on National Joint Committee for Local Government Services (NJC) terms and conditions.

The Committee noted the report and invited officers to report back to the Committee if there were any further actions following the consultation exercise.

RESOLVED that

a.         The proposal for the assimilation to the new NJC pay spine be noted; and

b.             The consultation exercise regarding the introduction of the new pay and grading framework with effect from 1 April 2019 be approved.

The People Report is designed to give officers and members relevant workforce data in an easy to understand format in order to support informed strategic decision making.

Ian Morgan advised that there was nothing significant to report to the Committee in relation to the report.

The Committee requested that the next report include information on temporary agency staff and details of the service areas in which consultants and interims were employed.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

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

None.

17 December 2018

17 December 2018

Items 15 and 16 are likely to be subject to a motion to exclude the press and public be from the meeting as they contain exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); para 3 - information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information); and para 5 – information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting as items 15 and 16 contain exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); para 3 - information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information); and para 5 – information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

To consider exempt information pertaining to item 7.

The Committee considered exempt information pertaining to the Schools Model Pay report.

To consider exempt information pertaining to item 10.

The Committee considered exempt information pertaining to the Implementation of the new NJC pay spine report.