Issue - meetings

To receive the Minutes of the Staff Consultation Forum meetings from July 2023 and September 2023.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the minutes of the Staff Consultation Forum for July and September 2023.

Audio Recording – 4 minutes 54 seconds

The HR Services Manager presented the item entitled ‘SCF Minutes’, alongside the Minutes from the meetings of July and September 2023 and highlighted the following:

·       There was no meeting of the SCF held in August 2023.

·       In the July meeting there was an update on the Gender Pay Gap, the Pay Gap 2023 was currently being analysed and an update would be provided at the next JSCC meeting.

·       There was a soft launch of meeting free Fridays which was discussed in the July meeting. This had now been fully launched with feedback being encouraged for officers via the SCF.

·       Comments made by Councillor Claire Strong at the last meeting of the JSCC regarding social media job adverts were highlighted to the SCF at the July meeting.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Claire Strong

·       Councillor Tom Plater

In response to a question the HR Services Manager advised that telephone calls made to Customer Services were recorded for staff working in the office or from home. 

In response to a question the UNISON Representative stated that all calls into and out of Customer Services were recorded, however if the call was then internally transferred the recording stopped once the call was transferred.

In response to a question the SCF Representative stated that calls to Benefits and Council Tax departments were also recorded, even when transferred from Customer Services and that the SCF had discussed implementing the recording of all internal communication between Customer Services and other departments.

In response to a question the Managing Director advised that:

·       Floor two of the Council Building had been leased out for some time and generated an income of £50K per annum.

·       Floor three was now empty and not in use and Estates were in negotiations with a prospective tenant.

·       It was unlikely that there would be a clause in the contract of the tenants to reclaim the office space in the event of an emergency, but this could be confirmed in writing at a later date.  

Councillor Elizabeth Dennis noted that it was disappointing to see the comments from the Facilities Department regarding sanitary items in the toilets in the SCF Minutes from the July meeting. She noted that as most people no longer carried cash, it was not always easy to leave a contribution, but no-one should be made to endure period embarrassment.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the minutes of the Staff Consultation Forum for July and September 2023.