Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the Order of the Court of Common Council from 21 April 2016.

The Committee considered the Order of the Court of Common Council of 21 April 2016 appointing the Committee and approving its terms of reference. The Town Clerk advised that Wendy Mead had since resigned from the Establishment Committee and Mark Boleat had been appointed to the Committee. The Town Clerk confirmed the recognised unions were GMB and UNITE.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report.

To elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order 29.

The Committee proceeded to elect a Chairman in accordance with Standing Order No. 29. A list of Members eligible to stand was read and Deputy The Reverend Stephen Haines, being the only Member expressing willingness to serve, was elected Chairman for the ensuing year and took the Chair.

To elect a Deputy Chairman in accordance with Standing Order 30.

The Committee proceeded to elect a Deputy Chairman in accordance with Standing Order No. 30. A list of Members eligible to stand was read and Edward Lord, being the only Member expressing willingness to serve, was duly elected Deputy Chairman for the ensuing year.

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 19 April 2016.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 19 April 2016 be approved as a correct record subject to the following amendment:

Pg. 1: Michael Cogher be added to the list of Officers in attendance.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk which provided details of outstanding actions from previous meetings. Members praised the all-Member breakfast briefing which took place on 8 June 2016; the Town Clerk confirmed that a summary of all proposals would be circulated to the Policy and Resources Committee and other individual proposals would be submitted to each Committee.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report.

To appoint four Members, in addition to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and representative of the Finance Committee, to the Joint Consultative Committee.

The Joint Consultative Committee will meet at 1.45pm on 9 June 2016.

The Committee considered the appointment of four representatives to the Joint Consultative Committee. Five Members expressed an interest in serving. The Committee therefore agreed to extend Membership by one Member for the ensuing year.

RESOLVED – That Membership of the Joint Consultative Committee be extended by one to allow the following five Members in addition to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, and the representative of the Finance Committee to serve on the Joint Consultative Committee:

Randall Anderson

Nigel Challis

Deputy Joyce Nash

Angela Starling

Philip Woodhouse

Report of the Remembrancer.

The Committee considered a report of the Remembrancer which provided the Committee with information on the enactment of the Trade Union Act.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report.

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Human Resources which proposed an increase to the thresholds for the awarding of Market Forces Supplement by the Market Forces Board.

RESOLVED – That the Committee agrees that:

a)    In order to retain the robust system all supplements can only be awarded on the basis of independently verified market data, using valid comparators.

b)    Submissions have to include what has been done to make the job and the department more attractive to candidates or to retain existing staff.

c)    Submissions must also include what terms and conditions have been considered to widen the field of candidates including increasing diversity.

d)    Market Forces Supplements can be awarded by the Market Forces Board up to:

                                  i.    £10,000 for posts grade F and below

                                ii.    £15,000 for Grades G & H

                               iii.    £20,000 for Grades I & J

e)    All supplements awarded are summarised and reported to Establishment Committee four times a year.

f)     Payment of honoraria remains unchanged

Report of the Deputy Town Clerk.

The Committee considered a report of the Deputy Town Clerk which set out the proposal of a new Committee to oversee all aspects of the work of the Central Criminal Court for a period of five years.

The Town Clerk advised that the Policy and Resources Committee had agreed that the Committee should be formed as a Sub-Committee of that Committee.

In response to a Member’s query, the Deputy Town Clerk confirmed that the time period of five years was decided upon due to the extensive works which were planned to be carried out to the building over the next five years.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report and endorses the proposal for the establishment of a new stand-alone Committee for a period of five years.

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Town Clerk and Chief Executive, Chamberlain, and Comptroller and City Solicitor left the room during the consideration of this item.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Human Resources which presented a revised disciplinary and dismissal procedure for the Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to comply with the Local Authorities Regulations 2015. The Town Clerk advised Members that an amendment was required to the disciplinary procedure to state that Terms of Reference of the Review Panel were set out in the White Paper, rather than Standing Orders.

RESOLVED – That the Committee approves the revised disciplinary procedure, subject to the amendment that Terms of Reference of the Review Panel are set out in the White Paper, rather than Standing Orders

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Committee noted a report of the Director of Human Resources which provided information on the Government’s two apprenticeship policies and the implications of these policies on the City Corporation as an employer.

Members endorsed the Town Clerk’s suggestion that the City of London Corporation should be an exemplar in the employment of apprentices. The Town Clerk and Chief Executive reported that he had commenced discussions with Chief Officers on the target of delivering 100 apprenticeships across the Corporation, and proposed to provide a progress report at a later date.

The Director of Human Resources confirmed that the City of London Corporation’s Graduate Programme was in place and there were also plans to seek to implement a similar scheme for candidates who did not wish to enter further education. In response to a Member’s query on plans unrelated to academic achievement, the Director of Human Resources confirmed that further information would be provided at a later date.

Members discussed the different types of apprenticeships available and asked for further information to be provided at a later date on how the provision of apprenticeships had affected permanent staff.

Members asked for an update on the Recovery Career Service. The Director of Human Resources agreed to provide an update to the Member following the meeting.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report.

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

Members asked that a third option such as “other” be included in employment monitoring questions on gender. Members commented on the importance of recognising unconscious bias during the recruitment process, particularly in relation to ethnicity and age. The Director of Human Resources explained to the Committee that a major project had commenced looking into recruitment and attracting talent which included consideration of unconscious bias. The Government’s Equalities Office had recently published guidance for employers on the recruitment and retention of transgender staff and this would be considered as part of the recruitment project. The Director of Human Resources proposed to provide a report to the Committee on the Recruitment Project.

In response to a Member’s query on career progression, the Director of Human Resources proposed to provide a report to the Committee on recent recruitment of Senior Managers.

In response to a Member’s query on comparison data in relation to recruitment and starter and leaver information for previous years, the Director of Human Resources confirmed that upon request, it would be possible to provide direct comparisons and further information.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report.

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Committee noted a report of the Director of Human Resources which provided data from the Corporate HR Dashboard. The full electronic version of the dashboard was made available to Members at the meeting.

Members commented on the increased number of accidents. The Director of Human Resources explained that there had not been an increase in accidents, but an increase in the reporting of accidents due to improvements made to the reporting systems. This was seen as a positive, but there should now be a focus on increasing reporting of near misses.

In response to a Member’s query on how the number of new starters surpassed the number of appointments, the Director of Human Resources explained that there had been different recruitment systems and when the data was put together, the various systems had been joined up. Members suggested that explanations be included with the figures going forward to explain discrepancies.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the report.

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Human Resources which provided information on any redundancies, early retirements and ill health retirements in the reporting period January to March 2016.

RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the actions taken under delegated authority.

There were no questions.

There were no urgent items.

MOTION - That under Section 100A(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 I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of the Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

To agree the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 19 April 2016.

The non-public minutes of the meeting held on 19 April 2016 were approved.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee noted a report of the Town Clerk which provided details of outstanding actions from previous meetings.

There were no questions.

There were no urgent items.

To agree the Confidential minutes of the last meeting held on 19 April 2016.

The confidential minutes of the meeting held on 19 April 2016 were approved.

Appendix to a report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Committee considered an Appendix to a report of the Director of Human Resources which set out the redundancies and ill health retirements from the period January to March 2016.

Report of the City Surveyor.

The Committee considered and approved a report of the City Surveyor which requested an extension of honorarium payments for two posts within the City Surveyor’s Department.

Report of the Chamberlain.

The Committee considered and approved a report of the Chamberlain which requested a Market Forces Supplement for a post within the Chamberlain’s Department.

Report of the Director of Human Resources.

The Committee noted a report by the Director of Human Resources which set out the pay claim made by the Trade Unions.

Town Clerk to be heard.

The Committee considered and approved a report of the Town Clerk which provided an update on the reconfiguration of the Town Clerk’s Department.