Agenda item

Members are asked to consider and approve the updated Recruitment Policy, attached at Appendix A to the report.

Dan Paul, Chief People Officer, introduced the report as set out in the agenda.  The Chief People Officer stated that the policy had been substantially rewritten and subject to a full consultation process. The policy would be introduced in a phased basis between 1 April – July 2021. He added that the practice notes were still under development and would be circulated to the committee once available.

In response to a question regarding the talent pool, as referenced on page 12 of the report, it was explained that this would include candidates that had not been previously successful but could be contacted for future opportunities. This provided an opportunity to not have to advertise each application individually, however it was noted that applications would not only be restricted to the talent pool.

Councillor Davies welcomed the vision part of the policy and requested that the words ‘we select on merit’ be included in the policy. It was also requested that promoting equal and fair treatment be included in the policy, in order to recognise the needs of underrepresented people within the council. Further reference was made to the talent pool and it was suggested that this should be time limited. Councillor Davies stated that it was important to get the wording right in the policy in order to get the balance right. She believed that access to a promotion as a right should not be included in the policy and felt that internal only vacancies should be the exception and not an expectation.

In response, the Chief People Officer stated that the comment regarding promoting fair and equal treatment had already been included in the Vision part of the policy, 5^th bullet point, detailed on page 12 of the agenda. He also confirmed that he would find a suitable place to include ‘we select on merit’ within the policy.

In response to a question regarding senior staff appointments, it was stated that a link to the Senior Appointment Guidance was included on page 18 of the agenda pack. The Chief People Officer stated that this was in the development stage and that an updated version would be circulated once available.

Councillor Dennison referred to page 15 of the agenda and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           advertising and questioned what would constitute an appropriate vacancy. He was also of the view that advertising internally in the first instance should not be the default position. 

In response, the Chief People Officer confirmed that the wording of point 6, advertising, as detailed on page 15 of the agenda was the intended wording. He added that the council had a clear aim to maximise job opportunities for local people, however if it was felt that a position required wider advertising in the first instance then the council would follow this route and confirmed that the policy did not preclude this. He added that each service would review the most appropriate advertising route for each individual vacancy and identify the best way of recruiting for that particular role.

Further discussion took place regarding this position as the Committee expressed concern about this proposal and believed that the council should recruit for excellence and not preclude the opportunity to advertise each vacancy internally and externally. The Committee also stated that there should also be a focus on the redeployment pool, in order to show a commitment to those members of staff that may be made redundant. In response, the Chief People Officer stated that he had taken the concerns on board and that it had been a delicate policy to process and negotiate.

Following concerns raised by the Committee and an indication that they felt further discussion should take place before an approval was made, the Chief People Officer recognised that it was the will of the Committee to advertise vacancies internally and externally and that each application should be reviewed on a case by case basis to determine whether it was appropriate to advertise more widely in the first instance. It was therefore requested that the Committee allow him the scope to achieve this aim and approve the policy and delegate the amended wording to the Chief People Officer, which would be circulated separately.

Councillor White wished to clarify the concerns raised regarding advertising locally and ensuring the best people were being employed for the role. In response, Councillor Davies stated that recruiting locally in the first instance may not always be the best way of filling industry specific roles. She felt that it was more beneficial to advertise as widely as possible, grow the local workforce and reduce the reliance on agency staff. 

Councillor Dennison stated that it was important to monitor how many local people were being employed by the council and also identify where they had seen the vacancy advertised. 

In response to a suggested proposal that the policy and practice notes be adopted at the next meeting, it was stated that there was a need for a policy to be agreed and finalised before work started on some insourcing week commencing 1 April. The Chief People Officer therefore requested that the Committee approve the policy, subject to the exact amended wording being delegated to himself and circulated separately.  There would be a dedicated recruitment team in place that would identify the most appropriate route for each application. The policy could then be brought to the next meeting for further ratification, if necessary.

In response to a question regarding interim or agency staff, the Chief People Officer stated that it had been difficult to address this fully in the policy. He stated that there were some roles where the use of agency staff was preferable, for example staffing the lateral flow test centres, which had been externally funded. However, in principal, the council sought to reduce the reliance on agency staff and would prefer to recruit permanent staff, where possible.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee approve the new Recruitment Policy, subject to the amended wording, to be delegated to the Chief People Officer.