Agenda and minutes

The Minutes of the meeting held on 4 April 2023 are attached to be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 9 February 2023 were agreed as a correct record by those present at the meeting, and were duly signed by the Chairman.

To receive any apologies for absence from Members*.

*Note: Members are asked to email Committee Services in advance of the meeting as soon as they become aware they will be absent.

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Butler.  Cllr Axam was attending as a substitute. 

To declare disposable pecuniary, and any other interests*.

*Note: Members are asked to email Committee Services in advance of the meeting as soon as they become aware they may have an interest to declare.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman had no announcements.

The following agenda items contain exempt information.

Recommendation

Members must decide whether the public interest in maintaining an exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

It is suggested that, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded during the discussion of the matters referred to, on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Members considered and agreed that, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded during the discussion of the matters referred to, on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Proposed by Cllr Makepeace-Browne; Seconded by Cllr Neighbour and agreed unanimously.

The report evaluated the effects of the ‘Tier 2’ saving initiative that was approved by the Council in November 2021 and also the subsequent decision to switch to a single Chief Executive model in September 2022. It focused on the staffing and management implications of these changes and identified areas where additional resources could be allocated to the organisation to address any concerns.

This item was minuted under Part II Exempt session.

Decision

Staffing Committee endorsed the action points identified in paragraphs 20-25 of the report.

This report looks at staff vacancies, recruitment, and staff benefits, including salaries. It recommends that the Council manage job evaluation (JE) schemes internally using the National Joint Council (NJC) JE Scheme for Local Government Services and the Joint National Council (JNC) Senior Manager JE Scheme for Chief Officers. This will replace the existing HAY JE scheme and save costs.

The purpose of this report was for Staffing Committee to agree to an operational move from the HAY job evaluation (JE) scheme to the National Joint Council for Local Government Services (NJC) JE scheme. Secondly, for the Committee to review the salary benchmarking exercise undertaken by South East Employers; and thirdly, to provide an update on the latest establishment headcount, current vacancies as of 30 September 2023, and feedback from exit interviews.

This item was minuted under Part II Exempt session.

Decision

Staffing Committee:

A.        Endorsed the proposed move from the HAY job evaluation (JE) scheme to the National Joint Council for Local Government Services (NJC) JE scheme and the Joint National Council (JNC) Senior Manager JE Scheme for Chief Officers

B.        Agreed that the Tier 3 (manager) job descriptions should be reviewed under the new NJC JE arrangements to provide greater clarity about levels of duties, responsibilities, and accountabilities for resources.

C.        Agreed that tier 3 (manager) posts should then be evaluated under the NJC JE scheme so that they were all consistent.

Members agreed that Committee meetings should be held in September and February of each municipal year following a work programme that would be drawn up following discussions between the Chairman and the Chief Executive.

Post Meeting Note

The Chairman and the Chief Executive agreed on the following programme:

i)          The February meeting to always receive the Pay Policy (for recommendation to Council), the Chief Executive’s annual objectives, and also the following end-of-year monitoring reports:

· outcome of the Staff Survey and any Action Plan

· updates on the staff organisation chart,

· competitiveness in the labour market

· feedback from exit interviews

· staff vacancies and recruitment

· job evaluation request outcomes

ii)         The September Staffing Committee is to receive half-yearly monitoring reports on

· feedback from exit interviews

· staff vacancies and recruitment

· job evaluation request outcomes

· progress against the Staff Survey Action Plan

This report reflects upon the staffing and management impact of the significant leadership changes arising from the ‘Tier 2’ saving initiative agreed by Council in November 2021 and the subsequent decision in September 2022 to move to a single Chief Executive model.

Recommendation

Staffing Committee to support the action points identified in paragraphs 20-25 of this report.