Agenda and minutes

Minutes of meeting held on 22^nd November 2022 (previously circulated). 

The minutes of the meeting held on 22^nd November 2022 were approved as a correct record. 

To receive declarations by Councillors of interests in respect of items on this Agenda. 

Councillors are reminded that, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011, they are required to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests which have not already been declared in the Council’s Register of Interests. (It is a criminal offence not to declare a disclosable pecuniary interest either in the Register or at the meeting). 

Whilst not a legal requirement, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9 and in the interests of clarity and transparency, Councillors should declare any disclosable pecuniary interests which they have already declared in the Register, at this point in the meeting. 

In accordance with Part B Section 2 of the Code Of Conduct, Councillors are required to declare the existence and nature of any other interests as defined in paragraphs 8(1) or 9(2) of the Code of Conduct. 

There were no declarations of interest. 

There were no items of urgent business. 

Report of the Organisational Development Manager. 

The Organisational Development Manager submitted a report to update the Committee of the development of a new People Plan 2023-2026. 

It was reported that a three year People Plan has been developed as a strategy to support the council’s priorities from a people management perspective.

Given the context of OBR and the impact of budget constraints, it is more important than ever to ensure that employees are effective at delivering positive outcomes for our residents and communities.  It is therefore critical that employees are developed and lead well, thereby increasing capacity, to ensure the continued success of Lancaster City Council.  The People Plan will set out how this will be delivered.

The People Plan has drawn on the expertise and knowledge of a wide range of stakeholders in the organisation to ensure that it is relevant to current and future needs, including senior managers, Staff Ambassadors, We’re Listening Forum colleagues (representing front line colleagues based at White Lund Depot), the workforce as a whole, Trade Unions and Investors In People.

Resolved:-

That the new draft People Plan 2023-2026, appended to the report, is noted by the committee. 

Note:  Please note that this is the strategic work plan for the Human Resources Team and does not require formal approval.

Report of the Projects Delivery Lead. 

The Projects Delivery Lead submitted a report that informed on the progress of Disability Equality Initiatives and planned work. 

The Equality Act 2010 provides legislative protection for those with a disability noting it as a protected characteristic and placing a responsibility on employers to make reasonable adjustments for disability both prior to employment at the recruitment and selection stages, and during employment itself.

The council’s Equality and Diversity Policy in operation also states that we will tackle any inequality arising from several protected characteristics, one of which is disability. It also states, in line with legislation, that we will ensure that recruitment and selection is carried out fairly and effectively and that we will make reasonable adjustments in line with our legal duties.

The council has also operated a guaranteed interview scheme for those who meet the essential criteria for a role for several years. This is part of our commitment to the Department for Works and Pensions ‘Two Ticks’ Disability Scheme which was replaced by the Disability Confident Scheme in November of 2016. There are three levels to this scheme, committed, employer and leader.  The council is currently at Disability Confident Level 1 - Committed which means that we have signed up to several commitments with regards to both our recruitment and employment practices.

The report highlighted the work undertaken in the following key areas. 

·                Disability and Carers Network;

·                Hidden Disabilities;

·                Access Audit Checklists;

·                Disability Passports;

Future Plans to develop our commitment to disabled applicants and employees were also set out in the report. 

Members asked if HR could provide a modified version of the Disability Passport to be shared with the Head of Legal and Head of Democratic Services so that this can be included as part of the Councillor induction pack and induction processes. 

Resolved: -

That Committee notes the progress made regarding disability equality initiatives and plans for further development work. 

Report of the Projects Delivery Lead. 

The Projects Delivery Lead submitted a report that informed on the progression of the Fair Work Charter and detail information on the Foundation Living Wage Accreditation process, and to seek a decision on the implementation of these within our own organisation.

In line with the commitment under Plan 2030 to Fair Work and an inclusive prosperous economy, the Council is undertaking a project to seek to implement a Fair Work Charter in the district to assist in addressing labour market inequalities and encourage good employment practices.

It was agreed by Cabinet on 17^th January 2023 that, following internal consultation, the final internal draft of the charter would now progress to external engagement and consultation and would be further developed through a partnership model with the plan to launch this later in the year to local business. A copy of the final internal version of the charter was appended to the report.

In conclusion it was reported thatcommitment to our own Fair Work Charter Journey, and a commitment to become Foundation Living Wage accredited, ensures that the Council is settling an example as the local authority in continuing to lead as a Fair Employer and is highlighting best practice. It also enhances our employer brand and supports our ambition to become an employer of choice.

The options available to the Committee were:

·            The options available to the committee are to approve our commitment to our own fair work charter journey and the Real Living Wage Accreditation or to reject the recommendations and to maintain our current position as an employer.

·            The risk of rejecting the proposals are that Cabinet would likely need to review the decision to externally consult and develop a partnership for the Fair Work Charter as we would not be supporting our own initiative.

Members were advised that the JCC had been consulted and had advised that this was a good piece of work and were in support of the proposals. 

It was moved by Councillor Caroline Jackson, seconded by Councillor Mel Guilding and agreed as follows. 

Resolved: -

That:

·       The committee agrees that the Council as an employer will commit to the Fair Work Charter Journey.

• The committee approves the Council’s commitment to achieving and maintaining Foundation Living Wage Accreditation.

Taking into consideration:

• The required uplift for our own staff in line with the new real living wage rate (£10.90).
• The required commitment to advocating payment of the RLW to third party contracted staff within procurement processes.
• The annual fee required to retain Real Living Wage status.

Report of the Head of HR and OD. 

The Head of HR and OD submitted a report that sought the Committee’s approval on a set of agreed principles for the management of organisational change and the related policy amendments in connection with these. 

The Council is embarking on a period of organisational change due to Outcome Based Resourcing (OBR) decisions taken to address the budget deficit. The budget decisions for 2023/2024 will have staff implications and therefore the processes and procedures that guide the management of change have been reviewed to ensure that they are robust and fit for purpose.

A great deal of work has been undertaken in conjunction with Members and Trade Unions to ensure that the organisation is prepared as we embark on organisational change, and this work is described in section 2.0 of the report. In addition to existing policies which relate to organisational change, it was also agreed to formalise a set of key principles for management of change. This ensures clarity for all and means that any future restructuring is done so in a consistent, fair and transparent manner.

There are two policies which are relevant in managing organisational change;

The Council’s Early Termination of Employment Policy

The Council’s Redeployment Policy.

Personnel Committee are asked to comment on the approach to management of restructuring and organisational change and approve the key principles document.

Thereafter, Personnel Committee are asked to consider and approve the proposals made to the Redeployment Policy and the Early Termination Policy.

The amendments to the policies were set out in the report as follow:

Proposed amendment as follows to the section 1 of the Redeployment Policy:

‘It is not intended that this Policy will apply to employees who apply for voluntary redundancy. Nor will the voluntary redundancy scheme be available to an employee who has sought redeployment under this Policy. Should employees wish to be considered for voluntary redundancy, but also be considered for redeployment as an alternative to redundancy, they should speak to their manager ‘

Proposed amendment as follows to the section 8 of the Redeployment Policy:

‘If at the end of their redeployment period the employee has been unsuccessful in obtaining alternative employment within the Council, their employment will terminate on compulsory redundancy grounds, unless otherwise agreed earlier in the process.’ 

Proposed amendment as follows to section 10.8 of the Early Termination Policy:

The terms of the Redeployment Policy will not apply to any employee who applies for VR and does not express an interest in redeployment. Further, an employee who has unsuccessfully sought redeployment in a redundancy situation will not subsequently be eligible to apply for voluntary redundancy.

Re- employment of Chief Officers

            A review of relevant policies and procedures has also led to the proposal that section 17 of the Early Termination Policy is re-worded. This currently states:

Re-employment with Lancaster City Council

17.1     Any employee, up to and including Chief Officer, who:

·       was dismissed on redundancy grounds, and has received a voluntary (enhanced) redundancy payment, or

·       has received any  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

Report of the Head of HR and OD. 

The Head of HR and OD submitted a report that requested the Committee to consider and recommend to Full Council the Pay Policy Statement for 2023-2024 as required by the Localism Act 2011. 

It was moved by Councillor Jason Wood, seconded by Councillor Mel Guilding and agreed as follows. 

Resolved: -

That the Pay Policy Statement 2023 - 24 be recommended to Council for approval. 

Report of the Head of HR and OD. 

The Head of HR and OD provided a report that enabled the Committee to consider the Gender Pay Gap report, and the comparison between figures for 2021 and 2022.

Resolved: -

That the gender pay gap report and the figures provided for 2022 be noted.