Agenda, decisions and minutes

Members are required to notify any substitutions by midday the day before the meeting.

Late substitutions will not be accepted and Members attending as a substitute without having given the due notice will not be able to take part in the meeting.

RESOLVED:That Councillor Ian Albert be elected as Chair for this meeting of the Joint Staff Consultative Committee.

There were no apologies for absence from Members.

Audio recording – 2 minutes 13 seconds

There were no apologies for absence from Members.  

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 19 March 2025.

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 19 March 2025 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Audio Recording – 2 minutes 30 seconds

Councillor Ian Albert, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Claire Strong seconded and, it was:

RESOLVED:Thatthe Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 19 March 2025 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda.  Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote.

(1)         The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be recorded.

(2)         The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

Audio recording – 3 minutes 36 seconds

N.B. The SCF Representative joined the Zoom call at 10.04.

(1)       The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be recorded.

(2)       The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

To receive the Minutes of the Staff Consultation Forum meetings from March, April and May 2025.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the minutes of the Staff Consultation Forum for March, April and May 2025.

Audio recording – 3 minutes 59 seconds

The Director – Resources presented the item entitled ‘SCF Minutes’, alongside the Minutes from the meetings of March, April and May 2025 and highlighted the following:

·                An IT update had been received which covered a variety of topics.

·                The new directorate structure which came into effect on 1 April was discussed.

·                Quarterly updates on property services would now be given by the Property Services Team Leader rather than the Director – Resources as it was no longer under the remit of the Resources Directorate.  

·                Discussion about virtual parking permits replacing physical permits had taken place. 

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor Claire Strong

·                Councillor Daniel Allen

·                Councillor Ian Albert

In response to questions, the Committee, Member and Scrutiny Manager advised that all Members could be informed of the passing of one of the former Chief Executives at the next Full Council meeting.

In response to questions, the Director – Resources advised that staff were generally content and that most of the bigger issues had been resolved earlier in the year.

In response to questions, the SCF Representative advised that no complaints had been received from staff regarding the changes from physical to virtual parking permits and agreed with the comments from the Director – Resources on staff morale.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the minutes of the Staff Consultation Forum for March, April and May 2025.

INFORMATION NOTE OF THE HR SERVICES MANAGER

To update the Joint Staff Consultative Committee on the progress made in the last quarter completing HR work and projects and supporting people issues.

The Human Resources Services Manager presented the Information Note entitled ‘HR Update’, following which Members asked questions.

Audio recording – 8 minutes 16 seconds

The Human Resources Services Manager presented the Information Note entitled ‘HR Update’ and advised that:

·                Paragraph 3.2 of the Information Note provided an update on recruitment. The table within this highlighted the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Q4 and the recruitment data showed that this had been met. There was also a comparison of data with the same quarter in the previous year within the table.

·                79% of vacancies were filled at the first attempt and most were filled at the second attempt, however, there were fewer vacancies in Q1 this year compared to the same quarter in the previous year.

·                Paragraph 3.3 highlighted staff turnover which continued to be approximately 9%. This was higher than last year but the Local Government Association (LGA) benchmarking tool which used Infinistats showed that their staff turnover percentage was broadly in line with other councils in the East of England.

·                National Employers had offered a 3.2% increase across all NJC pay points for the majority of employees, however, UNISON were still demanding an increase of £3,000 across all spinal column points and were advising their Members to reject the offer. 

·                Two apprentices had attended the LGA Apprentice of the Year event that took place in May. This was an online event which brought together apprentices across the country to encourage collaboration and the development of skills required to tackle challenges in local government.

·                Graduates were in their second rotation of service areas and interviews for the second cohort had been completed.

·                The graduate recruitment process was managed by LGA and candidates went through a robust assessment process to reach the shortlist for panel interviews. Graduates could receive offers from more than one employer which could lead to more interviews if their preferred candidate decided to accept a job offer from elsewhere, however, they expected the next graduate to start in Autumn 2025 if they were successful.

·                HR had developed bite sized training sessions for managers which were designed to be short and focused sessions to develop their knowledge and skills in key areas. They would continue to develop these based on feedback to fulfil the action on this which was detailed in the Staff Survey Action Plan.

·                Employee Wellbeing was detailed at paragraph 3.8 and the Council had participated in Mental Health Awareness Week in May by signposting staff to internal and external resources and providing them with videos about maintaining positive mental health.

·                The activities of the Inclusion Group (IG) were set out in paragraph 3.9 of the Information Note. Their meeting in June included a guest speaker from a charity called ProAge who worked to create inclusive workplaces.

·                The IG had discussed the Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of sex within the Equalities Act and they would await the guidance that was due to be released on this later in the month.

·                Additional guest speakers would be invited to attend future IG meetings to shift the focus of the group to other areas  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To receive a discussion paper on Succession Planning and Future Proofing.

RESOLVED: That the Committee commented on and noted the Discussion Paper on Succession Planning and Future Proofing.

Audio recording – 21 minutes 30 seconds

The HR Services Manager presented the Discussion Paper entitled ‘Succession Planning and Future Proofing’ and advised that:

·                Succession Planning focused on identifying and growing talent to fill leadership and business-critical positions.

·                The Council was committed to the development and progression of current employees through various initiatives, and this commitment was crucial, especially with LGR approaching as teams would need to be prepared for evolving demands.

·                Staff were encouraged to develop through both formal and informal training but were also supported to complete formal qualifications and take on opportunities in the form of secondments or ‘acting up’.

·                Discussions with line managers at Regular Performance Reviews (RPRs) and 1-1s were vital to this process along with HR support and advice.

·                Succession planning and development could support retention but it was recognised that there would not always be a position for employees to progress into due to the flat organisation structure of the Council which meant that some individuals sought promotion opportunities elsewhere.

·                However, they have benefited from former employees returning to the Council when an appropriate position became available after gaining skills and experience at another authority.

·                Where there had been staff turnover in senior positions over recent years, these had filled by several internal candidates and there were examples of employees at all levels of the organisation achieving promotions within.

·                In addition to developing staff for future roles, they were preparing staff to adapt to change within the world of work.

·                The apprenticeship levy had been incorporated as one of the tools for development and several staff were improving their digital skills by undertaking courses in AI for business value, data insights for business decisions and advanced software engineering to support the Council workforce of the future. 

·                However, any form of learning and development came with challenges, the primary one being a constraint on time and workload both inside and outside of working hours as the apprenticeship levy required 20% off-the-job learning. HR were supporting employees with this and encouraging them to find the best methods of learning to suit their needs. 

·                The future would bring new structures, roles, processes and technologies and it was vital that staff were not only prepared for these changes but could use them as an opportunity.

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor Claire Strong

·                Councillor Bryony May

·                Councillor Ian Albert

·                Councillor Keith Hoskins

Councillor Claire Strong highlighted that the Council had been successful with succession planning as there were recent examples of internal candidates filling positions in the Senior Leadership Team, however, it was recognised that they would not be able to satisfy all Members of staff with career opportunities. 

In response to questions, the Human Resources Services Manager advised that:

·                There was no formal process for recognising talent within the Council, however, RPRs and 1-1s could be used by managers to spot progression and HR provided guidance on appropriate training if a suitable career path was identified.

·                RPRs and 1-1s were continuous and an annual log of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive a discussion paper on Microaggressions and Unconscious Bias in the Workplace.

RESOLVED: That the Committee commented on and noted the Discussion Paper on Microaggressions and Unconscious Bias in the Workplace.

Audio recording – 35 minutes 32 seconds

The Human Resources Services Manager presented the Discussion Paper entitled ‘Microaggressions and Unconscious Bias in the Workplace’ and advised that:

·                Microaggressions were defined as negative comments or actions that targeted a marginalised group and were often linked to stereotypes.

·                They could be intentional or unintentional and while their delivery could be subtle, their impact could be significant both on mental health and emotional wellbeing.

·                Hostile work environments could result from the accumulation of unchallenged microaggressions over time and lead to a reduction in employee morale.

·                How people thought could depend on their life experiences and sometimes their beliefs and views about others that might not be right or reasonable.

·                Unconscious bias led to automatic judgements based on stereotypes or preconceived notions and could result in the unfair treatment of individuals.

·                Both microaggressions and unconscious bias could hinder diversity and inclusion efforts, affecting team dynamics and overall organisational performance.

·                It was key to address these issues to foster a respectful and productive workplace.

·                The Council were committed to creating an environment where all employees felt valued and respected which was supported through its ‘Inclusive’ value in the Council Values as well as the ongoing work of the Inclusion Group.

·                Failing to address these issues could have severe consequences such as increased staff turnover, decreased employee engagement, legal ramifications and a loss of reputation as an employer which could hinder recruitment and retention of good employees.

·                By tackling the issues proactively, a supportive and inclusive work environment could be created, resulting in enhanced organisational performance and employee wellbeing.

·                Several initiatives had been employed to combat the issues such as recruitment training which covered unconscious bias and e-learning modules which included equality, diversity and inclusion.

·                Posters on microaggressions in the workplace were developed by the IG to promote awareness of this issue among employees.

·                Personal development mornings had focused on unconscious bias and microaggressions.

·                Members of the HR team, Senior Leadership team and IG had attended training on these microaggressions.

·                Next steps to combat these issues included additional training for all staff to further develop their understanding on these topics and encourage them to consider their own behaviours, as well as promote inclusion, equality and diversity.

·                They were planning to relaunch the Council values to further embed the ‘Inclusive’ value.

·                Members were encouraged to share their perceptions of microaggressions and unconscious bias as it would help the Council to further understand these issues.

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor Ian Albert

·                Councillor Keith Hoskins

·                Councillor Daniel Allen

·                Councillor Bryony May

·                Councillor Claire Strong

In response to questions, the Human Resources Services Manager advised that:

·                Microaggressions could constitute comments or actions that did not specifically target a marginalised group, but they were more broadly aimed towards marginalised groups as detailed in their definition.

·                Microaggressions could occur both face-to-face and online, particularly through social media.

·                The HR team and IG were developing the skills of staff to be able to challenge microaggressions in the moment by recognising them,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider topics for discussion at a future meeting of the Committee.

Members agreed two topics on ‘Implications of the UK Supreme Court Judgement on Single Sex Spaces on the Workplace’ and ‘The Employer Value Proposition’ for the next meeting of the Committee and one topic on ‘Change Management’ for the Committee meeting taking place on 28 January 2026.

Audio recording – 58 minutes 30 seconds

The Chair led a discussion on future topics for the Committee to consider. The following Members took part in the discussion:

·                Councillor Bryony May

·                Councillor Claire Strong

·                Councillor Ian Albert

·                Councillor Daniel Allen

The following points were made as part of the discussion:

·                It would be worth having a conversation on the Supreme Court ruling on the Equalities Act and how the Council would respond to this once the guidance was released.

·                The Employer Value Proposition would be an interesting topic for discussion as talent retention was important for the Council.  

·                Discussion around Change Management would be valuable, particularly with LGR drawing closer, however, the topic should be delayed for discussion until more was known about the reorganisation structures.

·                Change Management was identified as a large topic and should be the sole discussion paper at the meeting in which it would be discussed.

In response to points raised in the discussion, Councillor Daniel Allen suggested that they should invite the Executive Member for Local Government Reorganisation/Devolution to attend the Committee meeting in which Change Management would be discussed to be involved in the discussion and this was agreed by the Chair.

Members agreed two topics on ‘Implications of the UK Supreme Court Judgement on Single Sex Spaces on the Workplace’ and ‘The Employer Value Proposition’ for the next meeting of the Committee and one topic on ‘Change Management’ for the Committee meeting taking place on 28 January 2026.

The Chair thanked the Human Resources Services Manager for presenting the discussion papers to the Committee.