Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 20th December 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 20th December 2022 was confirmed as a correct record and signed.

For information, disclosable pecuniary interests and registrable interests relate to entries that are included, or should be included, on a councillor’s register of interest.  Non-registrable interests relate to any other matters.

No disclosures were made.

No questions were submitted.

No questions had been submitted.

Cllr Poland arrived at the meeting.

Report of the Director of Finance, Governance and Contracts.

A report of the Director, Finance, Governance and Contracts was submitted  providing details of the Gender Pay Gap as at 31st March 2022 (item 5 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

Members welcomed the attached Action Plan and discussed (in brief) the following:

·         quartile pay bands, the proportions of male and females in different quartiles and the reasons why,

·         the distortion of the data by outsourcing contracts and that this data would not be easy to access to compare results,

·         ways in which the Council were improving recruitment and access to upper pay bands for women.

·         aspirations of the Council to improve its gender pay gap, including whether targets were required.

Noted that the data in the report applied to March 2022, and due to steps required for review and access to data it was challenging to present closer to the period it covered, but efforts would be made to expedite the process.

RESOLVED

1.    that a report detailing incentives provided by the Council to encourage recruitment from all sectors of society, including methods by which the Council’s attractiveness as an employer was highlighted for prospective candidates, be submitted to the Committee at a future meeting;

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

Reasons

1.    Members wished to understand in more detail the kinds of incentives the Council provided to encourage recruitment from all sectors of society.

2.    To note the information outlined within the Gender Pay Gap report as required under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.  The Act requires public sector employers with 250 or more employees on the snapshot date of 31 March each year to carry out gender pay analysis and reporting.

Report of the Director of Finance, Governance and Contracts.

A report of the Director, Finance, Governance and Contracts was submitted to agree the proposed amendment to the Menopause Guidance (item 6 on the agenda filed with these minutes).

The Charnwood HR Manager shared the signed Menopause Workplace Pledge with the Committee and noted that this report was formalising an amendment to the guidance document to reflect the Council’s commitment.  She explained that the Council was hoping to reintroduce a Buddy system and a menopause group.

Members welcomed the signing of the Pledge and stated that more awareness of matters such as menopause, mental health and wellbeing was valuable and necessary in developing an organisational culture of openness.  Noted that there had been no changes to the Sick Leave Policy but flexibility was allowed at the discretion of the manager and that training was not currently mandatory for managers but this was under review.

RESOLVED that the Personnel Committee agree the proposed amendment to the Menopause Guidance – Advice and Support for Employees and Managers to reflect the Council’s commitment to the menopause Workplace Pledge.

Reason

To accurately reflect the commitments made by the Council in relation to the menopause and ensure this is clearly set out within the relevant council policy.