Issue - meetings

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Roger Mace)

Report of the Chief Executive.

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Mace)

The Chief Executive submitted a report asking Cabinet to consider the funding of the employee establishment.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment, were set out in the report as follows:

Option 1 - That the status quo is maintained (as set out in paragraph 1.2 above)

Option 2 - That Cabinet identifies which Service areas are considered to be a lower priority for the filling of vacancies.  In doing so, Cabinet should consider the Council’s statutory responsibilities, Corporate Plan and Service Business Plan priorities and to what extent particular posts are externally funded. Having identified which Service areas are considered to be a lower priority, there is an expectation that only Cabinet could approve the funding required to fill any vacancies which occur within these Service areas during the remainder of this financial year.  Cabinet would need to determine whether this is a decision to be taken at a Cabinet meeting or delegated to Portfolio Holders.

Option 3 - That all vacancies which occur in those Service areas which are discretionary rather than statutory are referred to Cabinet to consider whether the funding should be provided for those posts to be filled within these Service areas during the remainder of the financial year.  A high level summary of statutory and non-statutory service activities for each Service is attached at Appendix A.  As above, Cabinet would need to determine whether this would be a decision of full Cabinet or delegated to Portfolio Holders.

Option 4 - Combined with options 4.2 or 4.3 above, Cabinet could decide that all vacancies go through an internal only recruitment exercise prior to a decision on external recruitment.

Option 5 - Combined with any of the options above, Cabinet could require any consideration of funding agency, contractor or consultants as an alternative to direct employment to be formally considered either by individual Cabinet portfolio holders or full Cabinet.

Officer Preferred Option (and comments)

The preferred Officer option is Option 2.

Councillor Mace tabled his recommendations, including the comments of the Head of the Paid Service and Section 151 Officer Comments, as follows:

That Cabinet

(1)                           Notes the recent agreement of the Leaders of the Conservative, Green, Independent, Labour and Liberal Democrat Groups that in present circumstances of the credit crunch and impending recession the City Council should be giving reassurances to local people that:-

·          Everything possible will be done to maintain essential services

·          There is a recognition that local taxpayers are unlikely to be in a  position to fund extra services from additions to Council Tax

                  …and resolves to introduce a presumption that staffing vacancies are not filled, in place of the current presumption that vacancies are filled.

(2)                           Notes the responsibility of Cabinet for the funding of the employee establishment and until further notice, determines to withdraw funding in respect of all posts becoming vacant below the level of Service Head, subject to the outcome of 3 below.

(3)                           Requests that the Chief Executive, upon any post  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92