Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Lavender.

Members of the Council are invited to identify any personal or prejudicial interests relevant to items on the agenda. Please refer to the guidance note attached to the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive a report from the Assistant Director Human Resources presenting the Council’s draft statutory Pay Policy Statement for consultation.

TO FOLLOW

(Report No.198)

The Sub Committee received a verbal update from Tim Strong (Assistant Director Human Resources) on the progress in drafting the Council’s Statutory Pay Policy Statement.  The verbal update was accompanied by a background briefing paper that had been provided for all members of the Committee.

NOTED

1.      The Localism Act 2011 required all Council’s to formally adopt a Pay Policy Statement each financial year, with the first to be adopted by 31 March 2012.

2.      Formal statutory guidance clarifying the level of detail that needed to be included within the Statement was still awaited from the Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG), so the briefing paper provided for members had set out a draft outline of the Pay Policy Statement, for consultation purposes.

3.      The main sections included within the draft Pay Policy Statement, which were as follows:

a.            Pay Provisions - members felt this needed to include details on the list of currently authorised duties and responsibilities which attract the payment of a fee, along with what happens to the fees received;

b.            Pay on Appointment;

c.            Low Pay - based on the previous Cabinet decision for the minimum level of pay to be set at the level of the London Living Wage;

d.            Working Hours - members felt that reference to the number of hours worked by the Chief Executive, Directors and Assistant Directors should be amended to read “at least 60 hours”;

e.            Other Non Pay Benefits - which it was proposed should include details on holiday entitlement and sick pay (as detailed within the draft outline Statement);

f.              Other general terms and conditions of service;

g.            Termination payments - which would also need to include, subject to approval by the Sub Committee and Cabinet, details of the voluntary severance policy;

h.            Retirement on medical grounds;

i.              Other payment/reimbursement of expenses/accommodation costs;

j.               Occupational pension provision; and

k.            Relationship between the remuneration of the Chief Executive/Chief Officers and that of the overall workforce.  A key issue relating to this section, was the definition around the meaning of Chief Officers, on which clarification was expected as part of the formal statutory guidance awaited from DCLG.  In relation to this section, Members felt:

·              that the sensible approach would be take the definition of Chief Officers as including the Chief Executive and CMB, although it was recognised that the Hutton report “Fair Pay in the Public Sector 2011” had referred to the Chief Executive;

·              There would be a need to ensure that any variation in the relationship was clearly explained, with members suggesting inclusion of a graph highlighting trends compared with previous years and to other local authorities, as the easiest means of achieving this.

4.      The list of minor drafting points and issues identified by the Chair, which was provided direct to the Assistant Director Human Resources for action.

AGREED that

(1)    the format of the draft policy statement be approved.

(2)    the proposed content of the draft policy statement, subject to:

(a)    the comments and amendments provided at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 705.

To receive a report from the Assistant Director Human Resources presenting a draft Senior Officer Severance Policy for consultation.

(Report No.199)

RECEIVED the report of the Assistant Director Human Resources (No.199) presenting a draft Severance Policy for consultation.

NOTED

1.      The policy had been developed as part of the aim to reduce the number of compulsory redundancies within the Council, given the ongoing budget pressures faced by the Council.

2.      The policy would provide an opportunity for management to agree the release of staff where their post was not specifically redundant but the release would assist a restructure of the service and achieve a budget saving.

3.      The compensation terms attached to the scheme, which would be less generous than those on redundancy with a maximum cap payable of £20,000.  The release would also be contingent on the employee signing a Compromise Agreement to protect the Council in any potential Employment Tribunal.

4.      The Trade Unions had been consulted and were in favour of the initiative as a means of assisting to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies within the Council.

AGREED that the draft Severance Policy be approved enabling its referral onto Cabinet for formal approval.

To receive and agree the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 25 October 2011.

AGREED the minutes of the meeting held on 25 October 2011 be confirmed as a correct record.

To note the date of the next meeting:  Thursday 29 March 2012 at 6pm

NOTED the date of the next meeting:  29 March 2012 at 6pm