Hart Borough Council Staffing and Appeals Committee Meeting

The Minutes of the meeting held on 24 September 2024, were agreed as a correct record and duly signed by the Chair. 

Proposed by:  Cllr Farmer; Seconded by:  Cllr Radley; Unanimously agreed

There were no apologies for absence.

Apologies for lateness were received from Cllrs Bailey, Neighbour and Thomas.

The Chief Executive declared an interest in Agenda Item 12 and would therefore leave the meeting after answering any questions that members of the Committee may have.

The Chair had no announcements.

The Council must consider and approve a pay policy statement for the financial year. This report seeks approval from Staffing Committee for a statement covering 2025/26 to be recommended to Council.

Members heard the only changes this year were to update the salary figures and dates.  A minor typographical error would be amended before publication.

There were no questions.

Proposed by:  Cllr Farmer; Seconded by:  Cllr Smith; Unanimously agreed

Decision

The Pay Policy 2025/2026 was recommended to Council for approval

Cllrs Neighbour, Bailey and Thomas arrived during this item, but as they had not been in attendance for the whole discussion, did not participate in the vote.

Members heard:

·       The Policy had originally been presented to the September 2024 meeting

·       It had been rewritten after that meeting

·       It was a balanced policy that supported the right to pursue a complaint but gave a smoother and clearer process for dealing with complaints

Members discussed:

·       That in section 11 it was not clear what would happen if the grievance was against the person who would usually hear grievances. It was agreed that such circumstances would be dealt with on a case by case basis, with the option available in appropriate circumstances to seek external support.

·       That the formal process timeframe did not make it clear that there could be a sequence of events preceding the grievance and that this may on occasion, when assessed on a case by case basis, qualify as “exceptional circumstances” meaning that it would be exempt from being bound by the 3 month reporting deadline from the (first) event.

(Cllr Neighbour arrived at 7.09pm)

It was agreed that the People & OD Manager and Chair of the Committee would make small amendments to the Policy to cover the above situations.

(Cllr Bailey arrived at 7:10pm)

Proposed by:  Cllr Radley; Seconded by:  Cllr Smith; Unanimously agreed by those who were in the room for the debate.

(Cllr Thomas arrived at 7:12pm)

Decision

The updated Staff Grievance Policy was adopted

To consider the performance objectives for the Chief Executive for the coming year, 2025/26. The objectives were used as a basis of evaluation of the Chief Executive’s performance.

Members heard:

·       The objectives for 2024/25 had been reviewed by the Group Leaders

·       The proposed objectives for 2025/26 had been developed in consultation with the Chief Executive and Group Leaders

·       The 2025/26 objectives reflected the challenges being faced by the Council

A vote was taken to defer further discussion so that it could be considered alongside the later agenda item, Item 12: Alterations to Working Pattern.

Proposed by:  Cllr Radley; Seconded by:  Cllr Crampton; Unanimously agreed

Following a further full discussion alongside Item 12: Alterations to Working Pattern, a vote was taken on the proposed objectives, unamended:

Proposed by:  Cllr Neighbour; Seconded by:  Cllr Crampton; Unanimously agreed

Decision

The 2025/26 objectives for the Chief Executive were confirmed.

The Committee 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 outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information

Members heard about the actions taken to address the issues around capacity, and that the situation had now stabilised.   

A final update on progress on implementation would be brought to the September meeting of the Committee.

Decision 

Staffing Committee noted the actions that have been taken and agreed that a final closure report outlining the practical impact of the changes implemented be brought to September's Staffing Committee.? 

Members received a presentation on the results of the 2024 Staff Survey.

Members noted that the survey had been conducted in October/November 2024 and there had been an 86% return rate which was considered excellent.

Members discussed:

• Whether all questions had been the same as the previous year 

• The results of the core questions broken down by service area 

• The relative sizes of the three service areas 

• What was meant by some of the organisational themes highlighted 

• That the service area averages were across a 5 year span 

• Concerns around some of the results and the issues highlighted by members of staff

• How staff would be supported, particularly through the forthcoming Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation process 

The mean scores from the questions would be circulated to the Committee for information. 

A request was made for a regular monitoring report to be produced for future Committee meetings. This report should indicate when notices of resignation were handed in, the time taken to request the advertisement of vacant posts, and the timeliness of filling these vacancies. Additionally, the report should include information on any roles that are readvertised to provide a comprehensive overview.

The results of the 2024 Staff Survey were noted and it was also noted that a Place service specific action plan would be prepared. Feedback on this action plan would be reported to September's meeting.

Members noted that some of the themes from the Staff Survey were reflected in the exit interview data from April 2024-February 2025, but that it should be remembered that any feedback was anecdotal depending on the person giving it.   

The Exit interview and recruitment information was noted albeit Members were disappointed to note the comments received about delays in filling vacant posts and the subsequent effect on workloads.

Discussion on the Chief Executive’s objectives was also rolled into this item. 

The Leader of the Council submitted a report for the Committee to consider an application for flexible retirement from the Chief Executive.

The report reminded the Committee of the eligibility criteria under the Local Government Pension Scheme and detailed the Council’s Early Retirement Policy.

The Chief Executive answered questions from the Committee and then left the meeting.

After a long and thorough discussion, the Committee supported the flexible retirement request.

Proposed by:  Cllr Neighbour; Seconded by: Cllr Crampton; Unanimously agreed.

Decision

Staffing Committee approved the Chief Executive's flexible retirement request effective from 1 April 2025.