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. New items of exempt Urgent Business will be dealt with at 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 17 December 2018.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2018 be approved as a correct record of the meeting, subject to the following amendment:

Minute item 23 – amendment to the overspend quoted, which should read:

“The current position was that there would be an estimated overspend of £800k in 2019/20 (compared to £605k in 2015/16).”

The purpose of this paper is to set out the proposed adjustments to the Recruitment and Retention Offer as a result of the periodic management review.

Members noted the report as set out. 

NOTED:

-           The annual turnover of staff was high compared with the rest of the Council, however there staff worked an average of five years for the Authority.  Exit interviews were carried out, and it was accepted that whilst some of the feedback may be useful, it was worth remembering that the person leaving may not necessarily be leaving the Authority by choice and the feedback may reflect that.

-           There were a number of reasons why staff left the Authority – more money elsewhere, loss of interest in the job, and there was evidence that some people preferred to be employed as agency workers, as they were able to move around jobs more quickly.

The Committee requested that an update on recruitment and retention for Children’s Services be provided for each Staffing and Remuneration Committee meeting.

RESOLVED that

i.          The proposed changes to the Recruitment & Retention Offer schedule of payments as set out below and detailed in full in Appendix A be approved; and

ii.         The proposal to run the scheme for a further three years subject to an annual management review and update to the Staffing & Remuneration Committee be approved.

To receive a verbal update.

Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager, provided a verbal update.  The Council would be adopting a new pay spine in April, and were moving towards new pay and grading arrangements.

The Committee noted the update.

As a public authority which has 250 or more employees, the Council is required by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 to report publicly every year on the differences in aggregate pay and bonuses of men and women.  This is known as Gender Pay Gap Reporting.  The attached Gender Pay Gap Data Analysis provides an update due for publication in March 2019.

Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager, introduced the report as set out.  It was mandatory for the Council to report on gender pay gaps annually.  The figures were encouraging, and the report would be published following the Staffing & Remuneration Committee meeting.

RESOLVED that the results of the Gender Pay Gap report be noted before the Council submit to the government portal, and that the Committee be made aware that following publication, the Council may receive both external and internal interest in the data.

The Council is required to produce an annual Pay Policy Statement to comply with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011.   The Council approved its last Pay Policy Statement at Full Council on19^th March 2018.  The attached Pay Policy Statement provides an update for publication in April 2019.

Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager, introduced the report as set out.  It was a statutory obligation of the Staffing and Remuneration Committee to put the pay policy forward to Full Council for adoption.  There were some minor amendments still to make, however these could be completed following the meeting, with the approval of the Chair and Directory for Customers, Transformation and Resources.

Officers responded to questions from the Committee:

-           Information relating to staff earning over £100k was published on the Council’s website.

-           In relation to the timing of interviews, and the decision at Staffing and Remuneration Committee, this would need to be further explored as part of developing the practice note for senior management recruitment.  Members were of the view that there should be a delay between the interviews and the committee meeting.

The Committee requested that a copy of the audit of the Hayes contract be circulated to the Committee, along with any audits relevant to HR matters.

RESOLVED that

i.          The Committee approve the draft Pay Policy Statement 2019/20, attached at Appendix A;

ii.         The Director for Customers, Transformation & 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.        The Committee remits the Pay Policy Statement (as amended, if applicable) for endorsement by Full Council on 18 March 2019.

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, Reward Strategy Manager, introduced the report as set out. 

Officers responded to questions from the Committee:

-           Return to work interviews were carried out after sickness absences.

-           Further information could be provided to a future meeting regarding how sickness absence compared with other boroughs.

-           The consultants in Priority X were mainly working on the FOBO project.  The number of interims were low compared to previous years.

-           Members requested a list of all projects where consultants had been appointed, and it was advised that as contractors were not employees of the Council, this was not within the remit of the officers supporting the Committee.  A request could be made to Corporate Board for information on contractors to be provided to the Committee.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The report outlines the progress made to the HR policy review and details of policies to be reviewed in the coming months. 

Ian Morgan, Reward Strategy Manager, introduced the report as set out.  A number of policies had been reviewed, and were with the relevant departments for comments.  Requests had been made to review the policies on sabbaticals, planned/unplanned leave, social media, redundancies/retirement/employment.

Members requested that consideration of paid leave for victims of domestic violence be included in the relevant policy.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Mark Rudd, Assistant Director for Corporate Resources, introduced the report as set out.  The postholder had been acting up into the Assistant Director role for longer than two years.  The Director of Customers, Transformation and Resources, had taken the decision to assimilate the postholder into the role rather than advertise the post, as the postholder had completed a competitive interview in order to act up in to the role. 

The Chair commented on the importance of handling situations like this properly in the future, so that other staff members were not left in the same position.

RESOLVED that the assimilation of the prospective postholder to the role of Assistant Director for Customer Services and Libraries on a permanent basis with immediate effect be approved.

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

None.

25 March 2019.

25 March 2019

Item 16 is likely to be subject to a motion to exclude the press and public be from the meeting as it contains exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); paras 1, information relating to any individual.

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded for the discussion of item 16, as it contained exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); paragraph 1, information relating to any individual.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2019 be approved as a correct record.

Post meeting note:  The minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2019 have since been updated to reflect that part of the minutes were now public.