Agenda and minutes
PDF 260 KBVenue: Committee Room C, County Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2DN. View directions
Contact: Andrew Baird
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
To receive any apologies for absence and subsitutions.
Minutes: Apologies were received from Peter Martin.
John Furey acted as a substitute for Peter Martin.
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING [26 SEPTEMBER 2016]
To agree the minutes as a true record of the meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: The Committee requested that a note be circulated to the People, Performance and Development Committee containing the final appraisal completion figures following the deadline for services to complete staff appraisals on 31 October 2016.
Concerns were raised regarding the Voicemail Mystery Shopper Exercise undertaken by the Customer Services Team the results of which were annexed to the minutes of the previous meeting. Members stated that the outcomes of the exercise demonstrated that the majority of staff within Surrey County Council (SCC) did not adhere to the Council’s Voicemail Policy. Members stressed the importance of officers having a clear and up-to-date voicemail message which includes details of an alternative contact for when they are out of the office. The ability of Members to contact officers in order to deal with Residents’ questions and concerns is crucial to the Council delivering on its corporate priority of achieving good customer service. The Head of Customer Services tabled an updated set of results at the meeting which are attached to these minutes as Annex 1. He highlighted that the results were only a dip sample from across the organisation and so it was not possible to draw conclusions on overall adherence to the Voicemail Policy but stated the results demonstrated that staff needed to be reminded of the importance of following the Voicemail Policy.
The Head of Customer Services asked the People, Performance and Development Committee to lend its support to efforts aimed at reinforcing the message to staff regarding the Council’s Voicemail Policy. A letter for staff drafted by the Head of Customer Services which highlighted the importance of adhering to the Council’s Voicemail Policy was tabled at the meeting and is attached to these minutes as Annex 2. The Committee was advised that the contents of the letter had been informed by learning into research on behavioural insights and was designed to nudge staff members into adhering to the Policy. Members felt that a strongly worded letter should be directed to managers reminding them to ensure that their line reports have answer phone messages which accord with the Voicemail Policy. The Committee specified that this should come from the Chief Executive and highlight that progress on applying the Voicemail would be monitored by the People, Performance and Development Committee (PPDC).
The Head of HR & OD was asked how many apprentices SCC would be required to employ following the introduction of the Government’s Apprenticeship Reforms. Members were informed that early indications had suggested that it would be between 170 and 200 apprentices but that confirmation on the final figures would be released by Central Government shortly.
The minutes were agreed as a true record of the meeting.
Actions/ further information to be provided:
1. The Head of HR and OD to circulate a note to Committee Members on Tuesday 1 November detailing the Council's position in regard to the number of completed appraisals across SCC.
2. The Head of Customer Services to send a communication on behalf of the Leader to reinforce the ... view the full minutes text for item 107/16 |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.
Notes: · In line with the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, declarations may relate to the interest of the member, or the member’s spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom the member is living as husband or wife, or a person with whom the member is living as if they were civil partners and the member is aware they have the interest. · Members need only disclose interests not currently listed on the Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests. · Members must notify the Monitoring Officer of any interests disclosed at the meeting so they may be added to the Register. · Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest. Minutes: There were none. |
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QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
To receive any questions or petitions.
Notes: 1. The deadline for Member’s questions is 12.00pm four working days before the meeting (21 October 2016). 2. The deadline for public questions is seven days before the meeting (20 October 2016). 3. The deadline for petitions was 14 days before the meeting, and no petitions have been received.
Minutes: There were none. |
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To review the Committee’s Actions Tracker. Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
None
Key points from the discussion:
· The Committee was advised that Cabinet discussions on establishing an All Member Briefing on the Behaviours Framework had not taken place on 18 October 2016 due to other matters arising and the Regulatory Committee Manager was asked to inform the Head of Democratic Services that she go ahead and set up with the All Member Briefing without input from Cabinet.
Actions/ further information to be provided:
None
RESOLVED: To;
note the Actions Tracker. |
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Appraisal Update Report 2015/16
To detail the findings from the management review requested by the People, Performance and Development Committee on the distribution of appraisal ratings detailing the rationale of services whose individual combined total of the performance levels ‘exceeds expectations’ and ‘outstanding’ was 10 per cent or greater; and to provide a definition for the three new performance levels ‘exceptional’ ‘successful’ and ‘needs improvement’.
Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD
Key points raised during the discussion:
• Clarification was sought on Recommendation i as it was felt that the wording could lead to some confusion in regard to when the Chief Executive’s Direct Reports meeting took place. The Committee agreed that the word ‘held’ should be inserted before ‘in September’ in the last line of the Recommendation.
• Members raised some concerns that the use of percentages to determine how many people within a given service should be rated ‘Exceptional’ against those rated ‘Successful’ and those rated ‘Requires Improvement’ could be restrictive and that there could be more flexibility within the distribution of appraisal ratings to ensure that there are no adverse effects on staff. The Head of HR & OD responded by stating that the new Pay and Rewards Strategy was in its first year of operation and that it was inevitable that there would be some initial challenges to overcome in relation to it. The Committee was further advised that the Chief Executive was closely involved in monitoring the implementation of the Pay & Reward Strategy particularly in relation to appraisal ratings so that any initial teething problems arising from the strategy were addressed.
Actions/ further information to be provided:
None
RESOLVED: That the People, Performance and Development Committee notes that:
i. the services whose individual combined total of the performance levels ‘exceeds expectations’ and ‘outstanding’ was 10 per cent or greater provided their rationale to their directors for discussion at the Chief Executive’s Direct Reports (CEDR) meeting in September; and
ii. CEDR accepted the rationale and recommended actions to be embedded in each service to raise the standard of performance of those achieving ‘exceptional’ and ensure consistency across the organisation. CEDR request that:
a. their definition of ‘exceptional’ ‘successful’ and ‘improvement needed’ be used across the organisation; b. every service creates standards that are in line with the three point performance scale and recommended target of five per cent of employees achieving ‘exceptional’; c. services work with their teams to ensure a common understanding of the level of performance expected within the organisation; d. a process is adopted that cross references objectives set for staff so they have equitable expectations and clear standards that can be compared in a straight forward way at moderation; and e. for HR&OD to embed these actions within organisational policies and guidance.
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To seek endorsement from the People, Performance and Development Committee to introduce a Professional Development Programme within the Environment &Infrastructure Directorate that provides set pay progression for candidates undertaking specific professional training schemes.
The report sets out pay and reward packages offered by those organisations competing with Surrey County Council for engineers and other specialist E&I officers. Following this, it outlines how introducing a Professional Development Programme will benefit E&I; the details of the proposed scheme, including costs, as well as providing information on other similar schemes that exist within the Council.
Additional documents: Minutes: Declarations of interest:
None
Witnesses:
Dominic Forbes, Planning & Development Group Manager Ken Akers, Head of HR & OD
Key points raised during the discussion:
• An introduction to the report was provided by the Group Manager, Planning and Development who highlighted the rationale behind the proposal to introduce a Professional Development Programme for specialist roles within the Environment & Infrastructure (E&I) Directorate. SCC is finding it increasingly challenging to recruit and retain specialist staff within E&I due to competition from a number of other private and public sector organisations which was compounded by a national skills shortage particularly in relation to engineering. There were a number of largescale infrastructure projects in the pipeline for the South of England over the next few years including HS2 and Crossrail 2 both of which would put further pressure on the capacity of E&I to recruit and Retain Staff. • Members were informed that the Professional Development Programme would improve the capacity of E&I to recruit and retain staff within engineering and other specialist roles by offering a clearly defined career path. Despite the additional expenditure associated with putting staff members through professional development courses and training programmes, the proposals were cost neutral as the aim was to recruit staff on lower pay grades and develop their skills and experience through the Professional Development Programme. Additional savings would also be achieved through a reduction in expenditure on agency staff. • The Committee drew attention to the Project Management Course at the University of Brighton and asked whether SCC was still putting members of staff through this course. The Planning and Development Group Manager confirmed that some staff were still going through this programme and also highlighted that a couple of staff members within E&I had been placed on a course Chichester College. • The Planning and Development Group Manager was asked to provide the Committee with details of what SCC’s current offer is for staff within specialist and engineering roles in order to provide a comparison with what competitor organisations offer. Members were advised that in general SCC’s offer for graduates was good but that the lack of a clearly defined career path was harming E&I’s ability to retain key staff. The lack of a welcoming bonus and expensive living costs in Surrey were also having an adverse impact on the capacity of E&I to recruit staff. The Planning and Development Group Manager stated that he would circulate full details of the pay and benefits packages offered to staff in engineering and specialist roles within the E&I Directorate. • Members drew attention to the lack of affordable for key frontline staff and the impact that this was having on recruiting staff across the Council as many people were unwilling to work for SCC due to the high cost of living and the comparatively low wages compared to those offered for similar positions within local authorities in London. It was suggested that the Council could purchase property through a ... view the full minutes text for item 112/16 |
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EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC
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. |
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Pay Policy Exceptions October 2016
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:
1. The Head of HR & OD to work with the Cabinet Member for Businesses Service to draft a letter regarding adherence to the Council's information governance policies for officers and Members.
2. The Head of HR & OD to provide confirmation to the Committee that the intention is to delete the SEND Strategic Lead role following the taking on of additional responsibilities by Julie Stockdale.
RESOLVED:
The Committee approved the recommendations set out in the confidential.
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PUBLICITY OF PART 2 ITEMS
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.
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of People, Performance and Development Committee will be on 24 November 2016.. Minutes: The Committee noted that its next meeting would be held on 24 November 2016. |