19 September 2024 - HR Committee
Minutes of an HR Committee meeting held on Thursday 19 September 2024 at Ruskington Parish Office at 10.30am.
Present: Cllr C Bain (Chairman), Cllr AE Jennings, Cllr D Conway
Also in attendance: Kathryn Locke (Clerk to Council)
No members of the public or press were present.
The Chairman opened the meeting at 10.33am.
1. To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.
All Councillors were present.
2. To receive declarations of interest and to consider applications for dispensations in relation to DPIs.
None were declared.
3. To approve as a correct record the notes of the last HR Committee meeting held on 9 July 2024.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve the notes as accurate Minutes. Proposed by Cllr Jennings, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
The Chairman signed the Minutes.
4. To review the following policies: -
4.1. Draft Equality and Diversity Policy.
The Committee considered that the contents of this policy were already included in the Civility and Respect Policy and the Staff Handbook and therefore this policy was not required.
Action: The Clerk to ensure that the Civility and Respect Policy and the Staff Handbook contained all the information in the draft policy, so they were up to date.
4. 2. Councillor, Officer and Employee Relationship Policy.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED for Cllr Bain to add a summary of the policy contents to the beginning of the policy. The policy to be recommended to Council. Proposed by Cllr Jennings, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
4.3. Delegation Policy
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend the Delegation Policy to Council. Proposed by Cllr Bain, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
5. To resolve whether to exclude the public and press, in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960, to discuss the staffing matters below.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to exclude the public and press from the meeting to discuss the confidential staff matters below. Proposed by Cllr Jennings, seconded by Cllr Conway and approved unanimously.
The meeting closed at 10.49am. The meeting re-convened at 10.49am.
6. To receive/ consider the latest information on statutory sick pay from the government, if available.
No information had been received.
7. To review staff NJC pay scale points and pay for FY 2025-2026 (The pay award for 2024-2025 has yet to be agreed by the Government and unions.)
The RFO had provided financial details of current staff pay and pay scales and those for the 2025-2026 fiscal year prior to the meeting. It was noted that the NJC pay award for 2024-2025 had not yet been agreed by the government. The Clerk was asked to provide an overview of the pay scales and how these related to the NJC pay points. The Clerk’s pay was not discussed; therefore the Clerk did not leave the meeting.
7.1. Clerk
7.2. Deputy Clerk and RFO
7.3. Environment Caretaker
7.4. Building’s caretaker
7.5. Administrative Assistant
7.6. Office Cleaner
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that the pay scale points, and pay be approved for all staff members, as circulated. The government pay award would be added to staff pay from 1 April 2025 and did not require Council to approve this. Pay bands and pay scales to be reviewed, with job descriptions, in 2025 for the 2026 fiscal year as some staff members had reached the top of their pay scale band.
8. To review pension contributions for eligible staff for FY 2025-2026
The RFO had circulated information prior to the meeting.
The Clerk left the meeting at 11am.
8.1. To consider changing the pension provider for eligible employees to the Local Government Pension Scheme to ensure protection of pension contributions.
Action: The Committee RESOLVED to discuss their recommendations for staff pensions at the Council meeting in October. The Clerk to ask the RFO to produce the financial costs for the pension contributions paid by Council to staff in the FY 2023-2024. Proposed by Cllr Bain, seconded by Cllr Jennings and approved unanimously.
The Clerk rejoined the meeting.
The RFO was invited to join the meeting so the pension costs to be provided could be clarified.
The RFO left the meeting.
9. To agree the date for the next HR Committee meeting.
Action: The next HR Committee meeting to be held on Thursday 17 October at 10.30am.
The Chairman closed the meeting at 11.34am.