Meeting documents

To agree the Minutes of the meeting held on 28 July 2010 (previously circulated).

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 28 July 2010, copies of which had been previously circulated, were signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

There were no declarations of interest.

At the meeting on 29th April 2010 the Personnel Committee had agreed that the Chiltern District Council and Joint Staff Committee (CDCJSC) be convened as soon as possible to discuss the future of the Performance Related Pay scheme. The CDCJSC had met on five occasions and the Committee received a report which detailed the outcome of the latest meeting of the CDCJSC held on 18 October 2010.

A discussion then ensured, and during which a number of points were made. There was some disappointment in relation to the decision of the CDCJSC at the meeting on 18 November to defer further discussions on the future of the Scheme, pending consideration of the implications of the spending review and the rate support grant settlement. It was suggested that there should be continuing discussions regarding changes to the PRP Scheme for new staff. However, it was felt that this issue should not be considered in isolation to the discussion around the future structure of the Scheme for existing staff.

It was added that discussions on this issue had not been concluded, but deferred, and there would be further discussions with staff on this issue in 2011, once the implications of the spending review and rate support grant settlement had been considered.

The Committee received a report which provided details of members of staff who had been successful in their qualification studies. Members asked for their congratulations to be passed to the staff concerned.

To resolve that under Section 100(A)(4) 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 as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED -

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 involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Note: The relevant paragraph number from Part I of Schedule 12A is indicated at the end of the Minute headings.

The Committee noted that the meeting of the Appeals Committee scheduled for 22 November 2010 had been deferred, at the request of the appellant. A meeting of the Appeals Committee would be reconvened for a future date.

The Committee considered a request for an early release of deferred pension benefits which had been applied for on compassionate grounds. 

Following a discussion it was agreed that the request for early release of deferred pension benefits be granted.

The Chief Executive introduced the report which reviewed current pressures, the impact of a retirement and a request for flexible retirement and early retirement under the 85 year rule, the advantages of planned change as against the current opportunistic approach and suggested a route forward.  Members made a number of points emphasising the need for transformation, the opportunities and difficulties in shared services, and that the Council could and should be more proactive both in its dealing with the community and reshaping the officer team.  The Council would need to ensure it had the capacity to ‘punch above its weight’.  The dilemma was how big the Council would be in the future.

Members were saddened by the decision of the Director of Planning and the Environment to seek early retirement using the 85 year rule but recognised this proved an opportunity to review the future structure of the Council.

In the short term the priority had to be to resolve the interim role in Planning, then determine the lead authority issue in Waste.