Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

In accordance with the local Code of Conduct, a councillor is required to disclose at the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) that they may have in respect of any matter for consideration on this agenda.  Any councillor with a DPI must notparticipate in any discussion or vote regarding that matter and they must also withdraw from the meeting immediately before consideration of the matter.

If that DPI has not been registered, the councillor must notify the Monitoring Officer of the details of the DPI within 28 days of the date of the meeting.

Councillors are further invited to disclose any non-pecuniary interest which may be relevant to any matter on this agenda, in the interests of transparency, and to confirm that it will not affect their objectivity in relation to that matter.

There were no disclosures of interest.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting of the Employment Committee held on 14 February 2018.

The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2018. The chairman signed the minutes.

The Committee noted that the Council’s pay policy was based on a locally determined pay and grading structure that comprised of pay bands with a number of incremental points.  The Managing Director reviewed salaries on 1 July each year through consultation with Unison and agreed, in consultation with the Leader, whether a cost-of-living pay award was necessary and if so, what the award should be.  In reaching this agreement, regard had been given to both public and private sector regional and national pay increases as well as any changes in the national and local economy.  The Managing Director had also considered the Council’s financial situation and, having considered all of these factors, agreed a cost-of-living increase of 2% for all staff below Director level from 1 July 2019. 

The requirement to consider an annual pay award was contractual and was set out within the Pay Policy Statement.  A pay award provision of 2% was included in the 2019-20 budget approved by Council at its meeting on 26 February 2019.

The Committee noted that separate approval was required from full Council for this pay award to be applied to the Managing Director and Director posts. 

The matter had been referred initially to the Council for approval on 15 May 2019, but had been deferred to the next meeting of the Council on 23 July 2019 as there was some concern that the matter had not been considered by this Committee.

Whilst there was no Constitutional requirement for the report to be considered by the Committee prior to formal consideration by the Council, the Managing Director had asked the Committee on this occasion to recommend the pay award for the Corporate Management Team to Council.

Having considered the matter, the Committee

RECOMMEND:  That the Council at its meeting on 23 July 2019 approves a pay award of 2% for the Managing Director and the Director posts with effect from 1 July 2019 in accordance with the Council’s adopted Pay Policy Statement.

The Committee is asked to consider passing the following resolution:-

"That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the 1972 Act".

The Committee

RESOLVED:

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

The Committee considered a report on the first stage of the Future Guildford transformation programme which was the restructure of the Corporate Management Team, which included the reduction of the number of Directors by one post.

Councillors noted that a formal consultation had commenced with those employees who may be affected.

Once the consultation was complete, the Managing Director in consultation with the Leader would present the staffing structure and responsibilities of senior posts (that is, at Director level), to the Committee.

The report did not seek approval in respect of that structure, as such a decision would be informed by the responses gathered as part of the consultation process and be the subject of a future meeting of this Committee.

However, recognising that whatever the structure and posts adopted following consultation – there may be redundancies, the budget for associated redundancy costs must be provided, and that as such costs would be in excess of £95,000, the approval of full Council was required, in accordance with Part 3 of the Constitution and the Council’s Pay Policy Statement.

The report:

·        Noted the process that was being undertaken for the review of Corporate Management Team (CMT)

·        Highlighted the termination costs against each of the relevant posts included in the pool of Directors

·        Sought authority from the Committee to ask the Council to agree authorising payment of the specific amount to the relevant Director.  This would be on the understanding that it would only be made if the proposal for going from four Directors to three was implemented after the formal consultation period had concluded, and after the Committee had gone through the selection process. 

Having considered the report, the Committee

RECOMMEND:

(1)     That the costs associated with the redundancy of each of the Directors, as set out in the table in paragraph 3.1 of the report submitted to the Committee be noted, and that approval be given for a financial settlement with a Director to the appropriate level where the decision of the Employment Committee has the effect of terminating the employment of that Director.

(2)     That it be noted that this approval is to be sought notwithstanding that the proposals are the subject of consultation, and that those proposals are not yet adopted.

Reason:

To enable a senior management team restructure.

The Committee considered a report on the adoption of two sets of policies and procedures designed for the Future Guildford programme period only (Phases A, B and C and the CMT restructure), as follows:

1.     Pay Protection and

2.     Voluntary Compulsory Redundancy (VCR)

It was understood that these policies would have no contractual standing or expectation beyond the Future Guildford Programme.  The policies had been designed as part of a package to support staff through the process and any transition period.

The Committee, having noted that any proposal for the introduction of either Pay Protection or VCR would have to be supported by the relevant Director and approved by the Managing Director,

RESOLVED: That the Pay Protection Policy and Procedure and Voluntary (Compulsory) Redundancy Scheme Policy and Procedure be adopted and introduced for the Future Guildford programme only and that thereafter they be removed i.e. non-contractual.

Reason:

The policies and procedures support both the Council and its staff to make key decisions based on future needs and aids appropriate exits to ensure a robust and legal compliance.