Agenda and minutes

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Media

Items
No. Item

(1)  Replaced County Councillor Driver CBE for this meeting only.

 

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies were received from County Councillor A Ali.

2.

Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests

Members are asked to consider any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the agenda.

Minutes:

CC Iddon declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 13: Winter Maintenance - Revised Collective Agreement, as he is unpaid volunteer for the out of hours winter maintenance service.

3.

Constitution, Membership and Terms of Reference pdf icon PDF 119 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee reviewed a report detailing the membership, chairmanship and committee terms of reference for the 2020/21 municipal year.

 

Resolved: That

 

(i)  The appointment of County Councillors G Driver CBE and K Iddon as Chair and Deputy Chair respectively of the Employment Committee for the 2020/21 municipal year be noted.

 

(ii)  The membership and terms of reference of the Employment Committee for the 2020/21 municipal year be noted.

4.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 6 July 2020 pdf icon PDF 202 KB

To be confirmed, and signed by the Chair.

Minutes:

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 6 July 2020 be confirmed and would be signed by the Chair at a later date.

5.

Delegation of Employment Committee Functions pdf icon PDF 23 KB

Minutes:

The committee considered a report from Deborah Barrow, Head of Service for Human Resources, regarding the need to continue to respond quickly to address any potential emerging Human Resource issues as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

 

Resolved: That:

 

(i)  The powers to determine the terms and conditions on which employees hold office (as set out in section B1 of the committee's terms of reference), be delegated to the Chief Executive and Director of Resources, or the Head of Service for Human Resources, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, in situations where, due to the needs for a quick response, it would not be possible to bring such decisions to the Employment Committee.

 

(ii)  The delegation as set out above, be in place until 31 January 2021, unless otherwise reviewed.

 

6.

Parental Bereavement Leave Policy and Procedure pdf icon PDF 26 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered a report from Deborah Barrow, Head of Service for Human Resources, regarding new Government regulations requiring employers to provide two weeks statutory parental bereavement leave and statutory parental bereavement pay. It was noted that the council policy allowed for employees to be paid at full pay for both weeks leave, with no minimum service criteria. This was above the statutory regulations that had been introduced.

 

Resolved: That the proposed Parental Bereavement Leave Policy and Procedure, as presented, be approved.

 

7.

Urgent Decisions Taken by the Director of Corporate Services in Consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Committee

The following urgent decision has been taken since the last meeting, by the Director of Corporate Services (Laura Sales), following consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the committee, in accordance with Standing Order D15 (1):

 

·  Variations to the Local Pensions Partnership's Pay Proposals

Minutes:

Jaswant Johal, Principal Lawyer, Legal, Governance & Registrars reminded the committee that the following urgent decision had been taken since the last meeting, by the Director of Corporate Services, following consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the committee, in accordance with Standing Order D15 (1):

 

·  Variations to the Local Pensions Partnership's Pay Proposals.

 

The full report had been circulated to committee members on 19 August 2020.

 

8.

Urgent Business

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the minutes, the Chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any member’s intention to raise a matter under this heading.

Minutes:

None.

9.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the committee will be held on Monday 12 October, 2020 at 10am (please note change of time). The method of conducting of meeting is to be confirmed.

Minutes:

It was noted that the next meeting of the committee would be held on Monday, 12 October 2020 at 10:00 a.m. by means of a virtual meeting.

 

10.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee is asked to consider whether, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, it considers that the public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that there would be a likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the appropriate paragraph of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972, as indicated against the heading to the item.

Minutes:

Resolved: That the press and members of the public be excluded fromthe meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that there would be a likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the appropriate paragraph of Part I of Schedule 12 A to the Local Government Act 1972.

 

It was considered that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosingthe information.

11.

Lancashire Renewables Ltd Annual Pay Review, Terms & Conditions Alignment

(Not for Publication – Exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972.  It is considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interests in disclosing the information).

Minutes:

(Not for Publication – Exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972. It is considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interests in disclosing the information).

 

Paul Brindle, General Manager Lancashire Renewables Limited presented a report setting out the annual pay review for Lancashire Renewables Ltd, changes to the terms and conditions of employment and the alignment of the company standard terms and conditions.

 

In response to a question it was clarified that an established methodology, agreed in 2013, was used to calculate the annual pay increase.

 

Resolved: That:

 

(i)  The pay proposal for Lancashire Renewables, as presented be agreed, with effect from 1 January 2020.

 

(ii)  The alignment of standard terms and conditions of employment, as presented, be agreed.

12.

Lancashire Renewables Ltd, Permanent Headcount Increase, Waste Processing Strategy Trials

(Not for Publication – Exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 3 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972.  It is considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interests in disclosing the information).

Minutes:

(Not for Publication – Exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 3 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972. It is considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interests in disclosing the information).

 

Resolved: That the proposed increase in the permanent headcount of the company, as presented, be approved to enable the changes to operational activities to continue on a permanent basis.

 

CC Iddon left the meeting.

13.

Winter Maintenance - Revised Collective Agreement

(Not for Publication – Exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 3 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972.  It is considered that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interests in disclosing the information).

 

Minutes:

Resolved: That CC Atkinson be appointed as Chair for this item.

 

The committee considered a report from Deborah Barrow, Head of Service for Human Resources, regarding the collective agreement in place between the council's recognised Trade Unions and Lancashire County Council. The agreement sets out the terms and conditions of employment for those staff involved in the provision of out of hours winter maintenance services.

 

Resolved: That the revised Collective Agreement for the 2020/21, 2021/22, 202/23 winter season, as presented, be approved and reviewed annually.