Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1, at the Council Offices, Southfields, Loughborough. View directions

Items
No. Item

20.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 194 KB

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21st December 2021.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 21st December 2021 was confirmed as a correct record and signed.

21.

Disclosures of Pecuniary and Personal Interests

Minutes:

No disclosures were made.

22.

Questions under Committee Procedures 12.8

No questions were submitted.

Minutes:

No questions had been submitted.

23.

Gender Pay Gap Information pdf icon PDF 169 KB

A report of the Strategic Director, Environmental and Corporate Services.

Minutes:

A report of the Strategic Director, Environmental and Corporate Services was submitted asking the Committee to note the Gender Pay Gap information (item 5 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

It was noted that the submission of this report one year after the data had been collated was in part due to the timescales for submission of the data to SLT and JMTUM.  The third Gender Pay Gap report had been delayed due to COVID and this had impacted the timelines.  It could be possible to submit next year’s data earlier in the year dependant on the workplan.

 

Summary of Discussion:

·         the Government had not set any targets but considered the rate of progress in terms of closing the gender pay gap to be too slow.  The Council was committed to closing the gap within a generation in accordance with Government fuidelines, but acknowledged there were many complicating factors to achieving no pay gap at all.  A Gender Gap Action Plan setting out aims for improving the gender pay gap was reviewed regularly by the Equality Working Group.

·         generally the data had remained stable.  Comparisons with neighbouring Local Authorities, which had a lower gender pay gap, indicated that, having outsourced refuse collections and maintenance of open spaces, this had impacted on the number of males in the lower quartiles for the Council and was anticipated to be a factor in the Council having a higher pay gap than those Authorities..

·         a review (just started) of recruitment and selection policies would consider ways to encourage a more diverse workforce.  The Agile Working policy also encouraged more flexibility for employees, including those who had caring responsibilities to be managed around work.

·         although female staff were paid on average 87p for every £1 paid to male staff it was noted that the gender pay gap did not stem from paying men and women differently for the same or equivalent work.

·         management courses were offered to appropriate staff, including apprenticeships and this could encourage more females into higher quartile paid roles.  It was noted that at senior management level the gender ratio was roughly split equally.

 

Members considered gender pay gap concerns could be better measured if female employees at the Council were surveyed to understand their views of working within the Council, the gender pay gap and ease of recruitment to traditionally male dominated roles.

 

RESOLVED that

 

1.    the Gender Pay Gap Action Plan 2019 be circulated to the Committee and that when the plan is updated this also be circulated;

 

2.    the Personnel Committee note the details of the Gender Pay Gap report.

 

Reasons

 

1.    The Committee considered it was important for targets to be set to enable the Council to work towards improving its gender pay gap and wished to review the Action Plan.

 

2.    The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 requires public sector employees with 250 or more employees on the snapshot date of 31 March each given year, to carry out gender pay  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

24.

Health and Wellbeing Policy and Charter pdf icon PDF 426 KB

A report of the Strategic Director, Environmental and Corporate Services.

Minutes:

A report of the Strategic Director, Environmental and Corporate Services was submitted asking the Committee to consider the proposed Health and Wellbeing Policy and Health and Wellbeing Charter (item 6 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

 

The Senior HR Advisor noted that the Health and Wellbeing at Work Group had drafted an Action Plan which included relevant aspects of training.

 

Members welcomed the drafting of a Health and Wellbeing Policy and Charter and discussed the importance of creating an organisational culture where employees could feel comfortable discussing health and wellbeing concerns with their line managers, mental health first aiders or access external professional support.  It was noted that the staff surveys went some way to providing an indication to senior management whether a culture was embedded and could highlight issues within individual services.  In addition managers were encouraged to monitor high workloads and to support employees attending training where appropriate.  The introduction of the Agile Working Policy had helped employees to work more flexibly within the constraints of the business needs of their service.

 

As the Council moved slowly out of the COVID pandemic and towards working more in the office it was acknowledged that this was an area to be monitored closely and initiatives amended as circumstances continued to change.

 

 

RESOLVED that

 

1.    an update of health and wellbeing in the Council be provided to the Committee twice yearly in line with its review by senior management;

 

2.    the Personnel Committee approve the Health and Wellbeing Policy and Health and Wellbeing Charter as suitable for implementation.

 

Reasons

 

1.    The Committee wished to continue to review the progress and position of the Council in relation to health and wellbeing.

 

2.    The Council has a Health and Wellbeing at Work Group who meet quarterly to discuss and develop a range of health and wellbeing initiatives across the Council.  The Group identified a need to develop a Health and Wellbeing Policy and a Health and Wellbeing Charter to support its employees.