Minutes of 5 April meeting

1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN

RESOLVED :

THAT Mr R R Barry be elected Chairman of the Committee.

2. TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE COMMITTEE

RESOLVED :

THAT the following terms of reference of the Committee be noted:

A politically proportionate committee of 7 elected members, to include the Portfolio Holder for Resources, established under sections 101 and 102 of the Local Government Act 1972 in order to:

1. Discharge the functions of appointing staff and to determine the terms and conditions under which they hold office (including procedures for their dismissal).

2. To be available for consultation on proposals by the Executive, collectively, or by Portfolio Holders, individually, to significantly change the size and/or deployment of the workforce.

3. To adopt, oversee the development and implementation of strategies and plans, in particular in relation to:

· Recruitment and Selection

· Training and Development

· Pay and other benefits

· Redundancy and redeployment

· Performance and Motivation

· Attendance at Work

· Equalities and Diversity

· Industrial and employee relations

4. So far as not prescribed by law to devise and adopt procedures for determining capability and conduct issues in relation to staff.

5. To hear appeals against dismissal by staff not on JNC for Chief Executive and Chief Officers’ conditions of service.

6. To determine issues referred by the JCB.

Under s13 Local Government Act 2000 and the Local Authorities (England)(Functions and Responsibilities Order) 2001 responsibility for the deployment of staff and for the monitoring of the size and deployment of the establishment are the responsibility of the Executive, and particularly within the delegation to the Portfolio Holder for Resources.

3. REPORTS OF THE HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES

(a) People Management Strategy

The Head of Human Resources reported on the People Management Strategy that had been approved by the Executive on 23 June 2003. The Strategy had been developed to ensure that all people management and development activities are relevant and consistent with the strategic corporate plan.

Whilst the Committee noted the report at this stage it was considered that time should be spent by the Committee deciding which areas of Human Resource Management they wished to focus on so that the Council’s performance in these areas could be monitored and further developed as necessary.

RESOLVED :

(i) THAT the People Management Strategy be noted.

(ii) THAT a session be arranged for the Committee to agree a work plan and decide what areas of Human Resource Management they wished to focus on.

(b) Workforce Information

The Head of Human Resources reported on various statistics on workforce information so as to give the Committee a benchmark overview of the Council’s workforce profile. Over time this information would help the Committee to decide if the various Human Resource policies and strategies were working correctly.

RESOLVED :

THAT the Workforce Information be noted.

The Head of Human Resources presented his report setting out the details of the work-based competencies that had been drawn up by the Training Champions Group for this Committee to consider and adopt as they sought fit.

The concept behind the framework was to ensure that all staff within the Council have the right skills to enable the Council to deliver its priorities. The framework would be used as a staff improvement tool, for recruitment purposes and could ultimately be used as a job evaluation tool. It was noted that the Fire Service and Teachers already had their own competency framework.

Once adopted and implemented the framework would be used by managers to develop training plans for staff and these would be brought together to produce a Council wide training plan that would need appropriate resources to ensure that it could be implemented.

The Committee supported the framework as presented.

RESOLVED :

THAT the competency framework as set out in Appendix 1 to the report of the Head of Human Resources be approved.

(d) Flexible Working

The Head of Human Resources presented to the Committee a proposed Flexible Working Directory that set out the various methods of flexible working that would be available to staff. Although a number of these had been available for sometime there had been uncertainty in some areas of the ability of staff to apply to take advantage of such schemes. The Directory would enable all staff to apply and give Managers the tools to be able to consider any such application. With all flexible working arrangements the overriding objective was the need to deliver the service to the standards and parameters expected by the Council – however within that staff should be able to work in a flexible environment.

The Committee supported the concept of flexible working and appreciated the benefits that accrue to both the Council and staff when such schemes operate. However there was still a need for Managers to control the work of their sections and there were some concerns about the possible public perception of such arrangements. The success of the directory needed to be carefully monitored.

RESOLVED :

THAT the Flexible Working Directory as set out in Appendix 1 to the Head of Human Resources report be approved.

(e) HR Update

The Head of Human Resources updated the Committee on the: Pay Negotiations 2004, Pay and Workforce Strategy; and the Stocktake of Local Government Pension Scheme.

RESOLVED :

THAT the update be noted.

CHAIRMAN