Councillors and committees

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room C, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 2DN

Contact: Andrew Baird 

Items
No. Item

1/17

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

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    Minutes:

    There were none.

2/17

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING: 24 November 2016 pdf icon PDF 134 KB

    To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting.

    Minutes:

    The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting.

     

3/17

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

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    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter

     

    (i)         Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or

    (ii)        Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting

     

    NOTES:

     

            Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest

            As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner)

            Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial.

    Minutes:

    Mr Nick Harrison, Ms Denise Le Gal and Mrs Hazel Watson each declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 13 arising from their role as school governors.

     

     

4/17

QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS

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    To receive any questions or petitions.

     

    Notes:

    1.  The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (13 February 2017).

    2.  The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (10 February 2017).

    3.  The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received.

     

     

    Minutes:

    There were none.

5/17

ACTION REVIEW pdf icon PDF 76 KB

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    For Members to consider and comment on the Committee’s actions tracker.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

     

    Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

    Andrew Baird, Regulatory Committee Manager

     

     

    Key points from the discussion:

     

    1.    Attention was drawn to Action A49/16 on the People, Performance and Development Committee’s (PPDC) Actions Tracker. The Committee noted that the request to circulate a letter to staff and Members outlining their responsibilities in respect of the Council’s Information Governance Policy had been outstanding since November 2016 and asked that this action be finalised as soon as possible.

     

    Actions/ further information to be provided:

     

    None

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the People, Performance and Development Committee noted progress on the implementation of actions arising from previous meetings.

6/17

Proposed Changes to HR Policies pdf icon PDF 124 KB

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    Proposed amendments to HR policies are brought to the People, Performance and Development Committee for consideration as the body that determines policy on the terms and conditions of all staff. The Committee is asked to consider and approve changes to the following: Probation Procedures Policy, the Officer Code of Conduct and the Gifts and Hospitality Policy.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

     

    Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

     

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.    An updated version of the report was tabled at the meeting.

    2.    The Committee received an introduction to the report from officers who provided both a synopsis of the changes that Members were being asked to approve to each of the three policies and an outline of why it had been deemed necessary to revise these policies.

    3.    Members sought confirmation on the legality of making a probationary period mandatory for members of staff who had moved to Surrey County Council (SCC) from another local authority. Officers advised that legislation does not prohibit the imposition of a probationary period on staff who have transferred from another local authority with the exception of employees who have come to SCC as part of a TUPE arrangement in which case the probationary period would not apply. The Committee was informed that Council’s probation policy was clearly stated in the contract for all new employees and that it was opportunity for both SCC and new members of staff to reflect on whether the move was the right one.

    4.    For the purposes of clarity the Committee made a minor amendment to Recommendation i. It was agreed that in the final line of the recommendation the word ‘on’ should be changed to ‘during’.

     

    Actions/ further information to be provided:

     

    None.

     

    RESOLVED; that the People, Performance and Development Committee:

     

    i           agrees to amend contracts of employment to require all new entrants to the Council to be subject to a probation period, usually six months, and to provide for a period one month notice period for all during probation;

    ii          recommends the amended Code of Conduct policy for approval at the next full Surrey County Council meeting on 21 March 2017; and

     

    iii         agrees the proposed amendments to Surrey County Council’s Gifts and Hospitality Policy.

     

7/17

Short Term Resourcing Needs Policy pdf icon PDF 128 KB

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    The purpose of this report is to update the People, Performance and Development Committee on a recent report submitted to the Council Overview Board, current progress on agency worker usage monitoring and to present a draft policy on short term resourcing needs for review and approval by the Committee.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

     

    Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.      An introduction to the report was provided by officers who advised Members that the proposal to introduce a short term a Short Term Resourcing had arisen from a review of agency staffing which had been conducted by the Council Overview Board.

    2.      Further information was requested on what limitations existed for staff in respect of taking Time off in Lieu (TOIL). The Committee was informed that existing policies enable staff to take TOIL where they have agreement from their manager. In certain instances staff are entitled to accrue TOIL which they can then take off in reasonable chunks. PPDC has previously indicated that it does not support payments for staff who have accrued but are unable to take TOIL and Members were therefore advised that this only happens on very rare occasions.

     

    Actions/ further information to be provided:

     

    None

     

    RESOLVED; That the People, Performance and Development Committee:

     

          i.        notes the update on agency staffing given to the Council Overview Board (COB)  and notes COB’s feedback;

         ii.        notes work in progress regarding the monitoring of agency worker usage; and

        iii.        reviews and approves the draft policy on short term resourcing needs prior to its publication and cascade to all managers.

     

8/17

Apprenticeship Reforms pdf icon PDF 187 KB

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    The People, Performance and Development Committee (PPDC) acts as the Council’s Remuneration Committee under delegated powers, in accordance with the constitution of the County Council. The purpose of this paper is to update members on the changes to the Council’s Apprenticeship Scheme as a result upcoming Apprenticeship Reforms. This includes an update on Government policy as well as information on communications and engagement.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interest:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

     

    Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.    An additional paper was tabled at the meeting which provided details of how the apprenticeship levy could contribute towards training for existing members of staff. The paper is attached as Annex 2 to these minutes.

    2.    The Committee asked whether it the provision of training through the apprenticeship levy would require participating staff to be granted time off work in order to complete qualifications. Officers stated that in some instances this would be necessary although the expectation was that in most cases training would be completed at work.

    3.    Members requested further information on the extent to which SCC would be able to claw back funds committed as part of the Apprenticeship Levy. The Committee was informed that under the Government’s Apprenticeship Reforms SCC had been required to commit 0.5% of its annual staff budget to a ring-fenced digital account the money from which could only be used to train apprentices. There were, however, opportunities for SCC to claw back some funding by reducing duplication in spend from its training budget. The Apprenticeship Reforms could also lead to improved efficiency through enhanced training opportunities for staff. Officers indicated that SCC had also been working with other large local authorities in the South East to create lists of accredited providers and to deliver improved economies of scale.

    4.    Officers were asked to return to the Committee with a report detailing the number of employees across SCC who could benefit from training as part of the Apprenticeship Reforms.

    5.    The Chairman of the Committee told Members that he had written to the Secretary of State for Education expressing concern regarding the inclusion of schools within the reforms on account of the fact that it may be necessary for some smaller schools to make staff members redundant in order to take on an apprentice. The Chairman stated that he would share the Secretary of State’s response with the Committee once it had been received. Members highlighted that some lateral thought would be required around training opportunities to ensure that schools were not adversely impacted by the introduction of the Apprenticeship Reforms. Officers advised that SCC would work closely with Babcock 4S in order to achieve this and would bring a report to PPDC at a future date which included proposals to ensure that staff benefitted from the reforms.

    6.    PPDC was informed that SCC had not submitted an individual response to the Government’s consultation on the introduction of the reforms but had taken the decision to endorse the Local Government Association’s (LGA) response. Members stressed that they felt SCC should have provided an individual response to the consultation.

     

    Actions/ further information to be provided:

     

    1.    The Head of HR & OD to bring a report to the People, Performance and Development Committee to facilitate a discussion on the number of employees across the organisation who could benefit from training as part of the Government's Apprenticeship Reforms.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8/17

9/17

Staff Survey Results pdf icon PDF 677 KB

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    This report provides an update to members of the People, Performance and Development Committee (PPDC) on the results of the Staff Survey. This is the second Surrey County Council Staff Survey undertaken by Best Companies and provides useful comparison data against last year. The Council Overview Board will also consider the results of the survey at its meeting in March. 

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Staff Survey Results were taken after item 10 on the agenda.

     

    Declarations of interest:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

     

    Rachel Crossley, Chief of Staff

    Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.    The Committee received an introduction to the report from officers who informed Members that the response rate to the Staff Survey had been encouraging. More people had responded to the Staff Survey than last year and SCC’s response rate was above average for large public sector organisations. Overall, the outcomes of the survey were broadly similar to the previous year. Improved results for the Children, Schools and Families Directorate were encouraging although there had been a slight dip in results for Orbis; Environment and Infrastructure and Legal, Democratic and Cultural Services.

    2.    Members sought clarification on the system used by Best Companies to rate organisations in accordance with their Staff Survey results. Officers explained that SCC had achieved a ‘Ones to Watch’ rating which effectively meant that its results were categorised as good. 1, 2 and 3 Star ratings denoted organisations which were very good, excellent and outstanding respectively. The Committee was further advised that Best Companies had an ‘unclassified’ rating for results that were considered low.

    3.    Discussions took place regarding the comparatively low scores recorded for the ‘Leadership’ category and what steps could be taken to improve staff perceptions of SCC’s Leadership. Members were advised that training for managers such as the High Performance Development Programme had helped to improve SCC’s Leadership scores particularly in relation to staff feeling as though they were listened to. Training for senior managers could therefore be used to target areas where surveys show that staff have specific concerns. Officers highlighted that work would be taking place with managers to improve the flow of information to staff on key messages and strategic issues. Members were further informed that there may be ambiguity for staff in particular areas of the organisation as to who they deem to be leaders and that this may have some impact on results in this category.

    4.    Members expressed concern regarding the results relating to staff wellbeing and inquired about the steps being taken to improve wellbeing among SCC employees. Officers advised that the Strategic Director of Adult Social Care and Public Health was leading on a piece of work to across Surrey to promote the healthy workplaces.  This is supported by an in house programme providing specific interventions to help managers tackle stress among team members.

    5.    The Committee asked to receive a chart comparing the results of the 2015 and 2016 Staff Surveys.

    6.    Discussions took place regarding how SCC monitors and measures staff morale. Members were informed that some questions from the Staff Survey do provide an insight into morale across the organisations and that the results from these had been synthesised into a Russell Circumplex Model of Emotion which the Chief of Staff indicated that she would circulate to the Committee.

    7.    Officers were asked to work with services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9/17

10/17

Pay Exceptions Analysis 2016/17 Quarters 1 and 2 pdf icon PDF 304 KB

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    The People, Performance and Development Committee (PPDC) acts as the Council’s Remuneration Committee under delegated powers, in accordance with the Constitution of the County Council. This report provides the bi-annual pay exceptions analysis for consideration by the Committee.

     

    Minutes:

    Declarations of interests:

     

    None

     

    Witnesses:

     

    Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1.    Members received an introduction to the report from officers who highlighted that there had been a general reduction in pay exceptions across SCC for Quarters 1 and 2 of 2016/17. There had been a significant number of pay exceptions granted for social workers within the Children, Schools and Families Directorate although the Committee was advised that this was to be expected as pay exceptions were more frequent for social workers.

     

    2.    PPDC requested that future Pay Policy Exceptions Analysis reports include details of the amount of money that pay exceptions recorded in the report would cost SCC.

     

    Actions/ further information to be provided:

     

    1.   Future Pay exceptions analysis reports should provide detail of the total financial outlay to the Council arising from the pay exceptions listed.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    That the People, Performance Development Committee review and comment on the analysis of pay exceptions for the period April 2016 to September 2016.

     

11/17

EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC

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    Recommendation: That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government

    Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information under the relevant paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

     

     

     

     

    PART TWO – IN PRIVATE

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED: That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information under the relevant paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

12/17

Pay Policy Exceptions February 2017

    The People, Performance and Development Committee (PPDC) acts as the Council’s Remuneration Committee under delegated powers in accordance with the Constitution of the County Council. The purpose of this paper is to highlight decisions taken and recommendations on pay that fall outside the published Pay Policy and amendments to existing Surrey Pay policies.

     

    This report includes a range of pay exceptions and staff related decisions that require the Committee’s decision.

     

     

Minutes:

Declarations of interests:

 

None

 

Witnesses:

 

Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

 

Key points raised during the discussions:

 

The Head of HR & OD introduced the report. The Committee asked a number of questions which were responded to by the officers present before moving to recommendations.

 

Actions/ further information to be provided:

 

None

 

RESOLVED:

 

The Committee approved the recommendations set out in the confidential report.

 

13/17

Pay and Reward Strategy Review Business Case for Schools Staff on Surrey Pay

    This report sets out for the People, Performance and Development Committee’s agreement, the business case to proceed with Phase 2 of the Pay and Reward Strategy Review for schools based Surrey Pay staff.

     

Minutes:

Declarations of interests:

 

None

 

Witnesses:

 

Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD

 

Key points raised during the discussions:

 

The Head of HR & OD introduced the report. The Committee asked a number of questions which were responded to by the officers present before moving to recommendations.

 

Actions/ further information to be provided:

 

None

 

RESOLVED:

 

The Committee approved the recommendations set out in the confidential report.

 

14/17

PUBLICITY OF PART 2 ITEMS

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    To consider whether the item considered under Part 2 of the agenda should be made available to the press and public.

    Minutes:

    It was agreed that the information in relation to the Part 2 items discussed at this meeting would remain exempt.

     

15/17

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

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    The next meeting of People, Performance and Development Committee will be on 22 March 2017.

    Minutes:

    The Committee noted that its next meeting would be held on 22 March 2017.