22 October 2019 – Minutes
THAME TOWN COUNCIL
Minutes of the Personnel Committee Meeting held on 22 October 2019 at 6:30pm in the Upper Chamber, Thame Town Hall.
Present: Deputy Mayor Cllr P Cowell, Chairman of Policy and Resources Cllr M Dyer, Chairman of Community, Leisure and Recreation Cllr N Champken-Woods and Chairman of Planning & Environment Cllr H Fickling
Officer: Mr G Hunt (Town Clerk)
A Election of Chairman
In the absence of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman, Cllr Paul Cowell chaired the meeting.
1 Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from the Town Mayor Cllr A Midwinter (Mayoral Commitment) and from the Chairman of Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee Cllr C Jones (Business).
2 Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
There were no declarations of interest or dispensations.
3 Public Participation and Public Question
There were no applications to address the Committee.
There were no questions put to the Committee.
4 Minutes
The Minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2019 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
5 Thame Town Council Grading Levels
The report as provided by the Town Clerk was discussed and agreed.
RESOLVED: That the revised grading levels resulting from remapping of Spinal Column Point (SCP) pay scales be approved and an additional Grade 6 be added between Grade 5 and the Town Clerk.
6 Exclusion of the Public
RESOLVED: That under Section 1, Paragraph 2 of The Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business because publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
7 Appraisal Outcomes
A brief report was provided by the Town Clerk. It was noted that there were no major issues raised in either the remaining 2018 appraisals (executed since the 30/10/18 Personnel Committee meeting) or the 2019 appraisals executed to date and therefore nothing for the Personnel Committee to take action on. The recent office move had resolved some minor issues re seating arrangements and it was noted that any additional headcount would require more fundamental office reorganisation.
8 Staffing Matters
A brief report was provided by the Town Clerk. It was noted that there were no issues that required consideration by the Personnel Committee, that the team was happy, motivated and performing to the best of each person’s respective abilities. Reported good progress on the replacement of the Town Clerk, the replacement of the Asset Manager (and the resulting restructure of the Community Services team) and the replacement of the Saturday Car Park Attendant were all noted, with the main item still outstanding being the recruitment of a replacement Project Officer.
9 Staffing Costs and Gradings
The report and draft 2020-21 Staff Costing spreadsheet as provided with the agenda were the basis for a detailed discussion.
The predicted outturn for 2019-20 was noted as an underspend of £6.3k (1.1%) due to the net effect of 10 separate overspend and underspend impacts as outlined in the report.
The draft spreadsheet for 2020-21 showed an increase of £22.8k (4.1%) roughly made up of:
-£3.8k Net saving on Asset Manager replacement / Community Services team restructure
+£6.8k National Joint Council (NJC) remapping of Spinal Column Points in December 2018
+£11.2k Projected 2% basic pay increase from 1/4/20 (current best guess at NJC negotiation outcome)
+£8.6k Recommended promotions
Only the promotions aspects were in the Personnel Committee’s current control.
It was noted that the actuarial adjustment for employer pension contributions will not be known until after budget setting. The cost last time (three years ago) was £6k, which this time will also need to be absorbed within the outturn for 2020-21.
Further discussion took place on the Town Clerk’s recommendations, and other suggestions by Members of the Committee.
RESOLVED: To accept the Town Clerk’s promotional recommendations for implementation from 1 April 2020, to be formally communicated to staff in January / February 2020, after final 2020-21 budget agreement.
The meeting concluded at 7:12pm
Signed …………………………
Chairman
Date: