Minutes of an HR Committee meeting held on Tuesday 2 December 2025 at Ruskington Parish Office at 12 noon.

Present: Cllr C Bain (Chairman), Cllr D Conway, Cllr S Hislop

In attendance: Kathryn Locke (Clerk to Council).

No members of the public or press were present.

The Chairman opened the meeting at 12.11pm.

1. To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.

Cllr Jennings had been unable to attend the meeting and had sent valid apologies.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to approve Cllr Jenning’s apologies. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.

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 20 October 2025.  

Action: The notes of the meeting held on 20 October 2025 were approved as accurate Minutes. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Bain and approved with two votes for and one abstention. (The Councillor had not been present at the previous meeting.)

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

The Committee had previously agreed to hold four meetings per year. The Clerk was planning proposed meeting dates for all Council’s committees.

Action: The Clerk to plan four meeting dates for the Committee to consider.

   4.1. To agree the date for the annual HR Committee meeting for 2026.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to hold the annual HR Committee meeting for reviewing staff contracts, job descriptions, pay and pensions to inform the budget for 2027-2028 on Tuesday 22 September 2026 at 6.30pm. 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 to discuss the staffing matters below.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 12.14pm. The meeting re-convened at 12.14pm.

6. To consider any comments received from Councillors to the draft letter to staff, and amend the letter as required for recommending to Council.

Comments received had been incorporated into the draft letter. The Committee recognised that there had been a long delay in sending an approved letter out to staff. At this time, the Committee also discussed concerns raised by a staff member and the solutions discussed with them during an informal meeting. Improving communication such as by inviting a councillor to the first staff meeting following a Council meeting and sharing access to projects had been discussed. Other suggestions included Councillors becoming more involved with projects, the creation of an Operations Committee that all councillors could be involved in to consider all topics and projects and using social media to highlight the day-to-day activities being undertaken by the Council and its staff. The Clerk advised that the admin staff were investigating the use of MS Teams and project management tools. 

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend the letter to Council without any further amendments. Cllr Bain and the Clerk to meet to discuss project management tools and the best way to share project updates. Proposed by Cllr Conway, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.

7.  consider correspondence from a staff member concerning their pay scale.

The Committee had already resolved to recommend to Council that the “cap” be lifted from the employee’s pay scale but considered the pay band and scale again with reference to the National Agreement for Salaries for Local Council Clerks.

Action: The Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that the previously agreed incremental pay scale rise of two points over the next two years (from LC 10-12) was relevant for the administrative role as there were no managerial or strategic responsibilities involved. Proposed by Cllr Bain, seconded by Cllr Hislop and approved unanimously.

8. To agree the HR Committee member/s to conduct consultations with staff members regarding proposed changes to their job descriptions.

Action: It was agreed that Cllr Bain, with the Clerk, would undertake any staff consultations as required.  Dates to be agreed with the staff members.

9. To consider the requirement for a third caretaker and make any recommendations to Council at its meeting on 9 December 2025.

Action: As a resolution could not be reached, the need for a third caretaker was referred to Council for consideration.  

10. To consider enrolling the Clerk, RFO, and eligible staff members into the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).  

The Clerk and RFO had provided information prior to the meeting, and Cllr Bain and the Clerk provided a brief overview of the benefits of enrolment into the LGPS.

The Clerk left the meeting at 1.14pm whilst the pension matters were being discussed and did not return to the meeting. 

Action: The Committee agreed that Cllr Bain would provide a case for enrolling the staff into the Local Government Pension Scheme for Council to consider at its next meeting.

   10.1. To consider Council’s contribution to staff pensions for FY 2026-2027, in view of reserves and financial information, and agree any amendments for recommending to Council its meeting on 9 December 2025.

Action: The Committee agreed to provide options for Council to consider, as required, following the outcome of the Council’s decision on enrolling staff into the LGPS.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 1.21pm.