Meeting documents

Venue: Room 6, South Bucks District Council, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham UB9 4LH. View directions

Contact: Charlie Griffin  01494 732011; Email: cgriffin@chiltern.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

9.

Appointment of a Co-Chairman (SBDC)

To appoint a Co-Chairman representing South Bucks District Council following the resignation of Councillor Ralph Bagge as Co-Chairman.

 

Minutes:

It was agreed to defer this item until the next meeting once South Bucks District Council had elected a new Leader of the Council.

 

10.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 76 KB

To confirm the minutes of the Joint Staffing Committee held on 3 July 2017.

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the Joint Staffing Committee held on 3 July 2017 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman.

 

11.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

12.

Pay Policy Statement 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 54 KB

Minutes:

In accordance with Section 38 (1) of the Localism Act 2011 there is a requirement for English and Welsh authorities to produce and publish a pay policy statement for each financial year. The statement should be approved by 31 March each year, at a meeting of the full council, and then be published on their website.  Due to changes in senior management within the HR team preparation of this statement was not progressed earlier and was now being presented for approval.

 

In response to a query, the HR Manager advised that the Local Pay Award report which would be submitted to the December meeting of the Joint Staffing Committee for consideration, would take into account the RPI and CPI index.

 

Having expressed its support for the Joint Policy Statement, the Committee

 

RECOMMENDED to both Councils that the Joint Pay Policy Statement for 2017/18 be adopted.

 

 

13.

Harmonised Flexible Retirement Policy pdf icon PDF 48 KB

Minutes:

A draft harmonised Flexible Retirement Policy was presented to Members for consideration. Pension discretions were approved by the Joint Staffing Committee at the meeting on 3rd July 2017.  These discretions consequently need to be reflected in a harmonised Flexible Retirement Policy.

The attached draft policy fundamentally reflects the existing Chiltern District Council and South Bucks District Council polices, updated in terms of reflecting the pension discretions agreed by Joint Staffing Committee in July. One substantive change to the existing policy which was proposed was to include a minimum reduction in pay upon retirement of 20% by means of reduction in hours or grade.  This was equivalent to a full time employee reducing their working week by one day. Under current South Bucks District Council and Chiltern District Council policies there was no minimum reduction in pay required.

 

In response to a query, the HR Manager advised the Committee that a minimum reduction in pay upon retirement of 20% by means of reduction in hours or grade would enable the Councils to have the flexibility to avoid smaller reductions in hours which would not be within the spirit of the policy.  The HR Manager advised the Committee that the policy allowed for management discretion and would always ensure that the needs of the service take priority. 

 

Having considered the draft policy, the Committee

 

RESOLVED that

  1. the Harmonised Flexible Retirement Policy be adopted.
  2. authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to undertake any minor amendments following the outcome of the staff consultation or future legislative changes.   

 

 

 

14.

Job Description - Head of Sustainable Development pdf icon PDF 37 KB

Minutes:

Note: Councillor John Read entered the meeting at 6.12pm.

 

The Joint Staffing Committee received a report seeking approval for the revised job description for the Head of Sustainable Development post.

 

The Head of Sustainable Development would be leaving the Council at the end of October 2017.  This post would be recruited to initially on an interim basis and then on a permanent basis. 

 

The Committee were advised that the current job description, attached as Appendix A, which was agreed in 2012, was out of date and did not reflect the key purpose, objectives and duties of this role as it stands at the current time and for the future.  Therefore, changes were being proposed to this job description, attached as Appendix B, which includes a change to the title of the post to Head of Planning and Prosperity. 

 

The Committee welcomed the revised job description, however agreed that a more suitable title for the post would be Head of Planning and Economic Development .

 

The Committee were advised that the Joint Staffing Sub Committee was due to meet on the 18 October to consider the appointment of the interim Head of Sustainable Development.  Due to member availability, there was a possibility that the meeting would not be quorate.  It was therefore agreed by the Joint Staffing Committee, that if necessary the quoracy for the Sub-Committee on the 18 October should be changed from 3 members per council (plus the Portfolio Holders) to 2 members per council (plus the Portfolio Holders).

 

Having considered the revised job description, the Committee

 

RESOLVED that

1)     the title of the post be changed to Head of Planning and Economic Development; 

2)     the revised job description for the Head of Planning and Economic Development, attached as appendix B, be agreed; and

3)     the quoracy for the sub-committee to appoint the Interim Head of Sustainable Development be changed to two members of the Joint Staffing Committee from each Council (plus the Portfolio Holders) if necessary.

 

 

 

15.

Exclusion of the Public

That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the public 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 Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED -

 

That under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

 

16.

Private Health Care for Senior Officers

Minutes:

Paragraph 1 - Information relating to any individual

 

Paragraph 4 - Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority

 

To inform the Joint Staffing Committee of the feedback from the staff consultation and to seek a decision on how to proceed with regard to Private Health Care for Senior Officers.

 

Having considered the various options as set out in the report and taking into account the feedback of the staff consultation and cost implications, Members were of the opinion that option 3 (to phase the scheme out over time as senior managers leave the Councils employment or change roles within the Councils) would be the most suitable way to proceed.   Members noted that whilst this option would not produce any immediate savings, and that costs may slightly increase as the age of the officers increase, as officers leave the Council or change roles within the Council (and thus leave the scheme) costs would reduce until eventually there would be none.

 

RESOLVED that Option 3 to phase the scheme out over time as senior managers leave the Councils employment or change roles within the Councils be agreed.

 

 

17.

Local Land Charges Shared Service Staff Consultation

Minutes:

Paragraph 1 - Information relating to any individual

 

Paragraph 3 - Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

 

Paragraph 4 - Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority

 

Members considered a draft consultation document that would be shared with the Local Land Charges Teams. In summary, the draft timetable proposed to:

 

·            Start consultation in the week commencing 16 October 2017

·            End consultation on 12 November 2017

·            Conduct the selection process for the post of Lead Project Officer from 27 November 2017

·            Implement the Joint Service on 1 January 2018

 

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised that the proposed draft structure of the Joint Local Land Charges Services team on page 56 of the agenda should show the Local Land Charges Officer post as a 2.2 FTE.

 

RESOLVED -

 

That the Local Land Charges Shared Service consultation document and appendices be agreed and issued to staff and that the structure be implemented subject to taking into account any staff comments and being within the business case in accordance with the authority delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Joint Staffing Committee Chairmen and the Cabinet Portfolio Holders from both Councils.