Agenda item

To consider a report from the Director of Resources and Housing that provides an update on the council’s position across a range of workforce planning matters.

The Director of Resources and Housing submitted a report for consideration by the Scrutiny Board that provided an update on the Council’s position across a range of workforce planning matters.

The following representatives were in attendance for consideration of this item:

·  Councillor James Lewis – Executive Member for Strategy and Resources

·  Tom Riordan – Chief Executive

·  Lorraine Hallam – Chief Officer, Human Resources

·  Alex Watson – Head of Human Resources

The Executive Member and Chief Executive gave a brief introduction, highlighting that the information presented provided a good overview of the workforce issues across the Council.

Members of the Scrutiny Board discussed the information provided and highlighted a number of matters and questions, including:

·  Levels of staff retention and recruitment.

·  Levels of staff vacancies and overtime payments.

·  Details of the most recent staff survey results.

·  The Council’s relationship with employment agencies and personal service companies following recent changes in legislation.

·  Measures deployed by the Council to help avoid compulsory redundancies.

·  Pressures within specific work areas – for example social workers and across social worker teams.

·  The Council’s relationship with schools and the level of staff redundancies across Leeds.

·  Succession planning during a period of continued austerity.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That a further report on agency workers, highlighting the impact of recent changes in legislation, be presented to the Scrutiny Board in October 2017.

(b)  That the Scrutiny Board be provided with further information in relation to the specific issues identified at the meeting, namely:

  i.  Further details on the level and use of overtime payments across the Council in the last 3 years.

  ii.  Details of the latest staff survey results.

  iii.  Details of the level of redundancies within Leeds schools over the last 3 years.