Minutes of an HR Committee meeting held on Monday 20 October 2025 at Ruskington Parish Office at 9am.

Present: Cllr C Bain (Chairman), Cllr AE Jennings, Cllr D Conway, Cllr G Cox.

In attendance: Kathryn Locke (Clerk to Council).

No members of the public or press were present.

The Chairman opened the meeting at 9.00am.

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 at the meeting.

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 14 July 2025 February 2025.

Action: The notes of the meeting held on 14 July 2025 were approved as accurate Minutes. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Jennings and approved unanimously.

4. To review the following policies:

   4.1. Volunteer policy.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommended to Council that the Volunteer policy be approved, with one amendment to the numbering, and to review the policy in three years unless any legislative changes were required before this. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Bain and approved unanimously.

   4.2. Health & Safety Policy

This had already been reviewed and approved/adopted by Council at its meeting held on 14 October 2025.

5.  To confirm a date and time for the next HR Committee meeting, if required, and consider any items for the agenda.

Action: The next meeting to be held on Monday 19 January 2026 at 9am at the Parish office.

6. 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 whilst considering the staffing matters below. Proposed by Cllr Cox, seconded by Cllr Bain and approved unanimously.

7. To review and confirm the draft letter to staff following comments made at appraisals for recommending to Council at its next meeting on 11 November 2025.

The draft letter was made available at the meeting and Cllr Bain read its contents to the Committee. A recommendation in the letter was to hold councillor surgeries, and the first one had already taken place.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend the letter to Council at its next meeting on 11 November 2025. The letter to be circulated before the meeting to Councillors with staff members copied in. In addition, as no dates had been set for councillor surgeries, the HR Committee members agreed to take turns to run the monthly councillor surgeries in the office over the next few months when a member of admin staff would be present. The Clerk to consider ways of keeping councillors up to date with projects and their next steps. Proposed by Cllr Cox, seconded Bain and approved unanimously.

8. To consider the proposals for changes to staff job descriptions following annual appraisals and informal consultations with the relevant staff members for recommending to Council.

Job descriptions were reviewed in view of comments and suggestions for amendments made by staff members at their appraisals. The Clerk had informally discussed any amendments with the relevant staff members, and they had reviewed, and commented, on their proposed new job descriptions.

   8.1. To consider the comments from a staff member regarding the proposed changes to their job description.

The comments were reviewed.

   8.2. To agree the Committee member to undertake the staff consultations, if required, with the Clerk, following Council’s approval of amendments to staff job descriptions. 

This was not discussed.

9. To consider correspondence from a staff member to increase their hours to full time and agree a date from which this should commence, if required.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that the employee’s working hours remain the same as at present but that this would be reviewed in six months on the basis of trial and feedback, or earlier if the employee requested this, in reference to proposed changes to their job description.

10. To consider the requirement for a third caretaker and make any recommendation to Council at its meeting on 11 November 2025.

The Clerk provided a rational for a third caretaker for the “street scene” such as littering, removal of dog fouling, keeping the cemetery clean and tidy, cleaning benches, bins and noticeboards, covering for caretakers on leave, and assisting at events. 

Action: The Committee with two votes for, one vote against and one abstention, were undecided on the requirement but agreed to ask Council to consider a third caretaker to work 10 hours per week (two hours a day, Monday-Friday). The pay scale and pay point would be the same as the previous caretaker for this role.

11. To review staff pay for FY 2026-2027 and agree any amendments for recommending to Council at its meeting on 11 November 2025.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend that one member of staff, following proposed changes to their job description, move up their current pay scale by two pay scale points over the next two years (from SCP 10 to SCP 12) commencing on 1 April 2026. The proposed draft pay for FY 2026 was otherwise recommended for Council to consider.

12. To review Council’s contribution to staff pensions for FY 2026-2027, in view of reserves, and agree any amendments for recommending to Council its meeting on 11 November 2025.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that it consider increasing its contribution to pensions for all eligible employees. The RFO to provide the financial information for consideration. Proposed by Cllr Jennings, seconded by Cllr Cox and approved unanimously. The Committee agreed to hold a meeting before the ordinary meeting on 11 November to agree a recommendation to present to Council.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 10.30am.