Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Charles Rideout (Councillor David Cartwright attended as his substitute) and Councillor Ellie Harmer (Councillor Colin Smith was due to attend as her substitute, but was detained at another meeting.)

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to the Chairman of this Committee must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Thursday 4^th February 2016.

No questions had been received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 9^th December 2015 be confirmed.

Report HR14003

Under the local terms and conditions of employment framework adopted in November 2012, the Committee was required to make a recommendation on the annual pay award to full Council. In the context of the significant budget gap faced by the Council over the next four years, a flat rate increase of 1.2% had been proposed for all staff, excluding teachers, and consultation with the Trade Unions had been carried out.

The three Trade Unions, Unison, GMB and Unite had submitted a joint pay claim for deletion of all local pay points below the London Living Wage (currently £9.40ph), a flat rate increase of £1 per hour on all other pay points, a guarantee that there will be no negative changes to terms and conditions and fair treatment of school staff through a joint review of term time working.     

The Committee noted that the cost to the Council of the Trade Union proposals was about £4m compared to £840k for the 1.2% increase. It was considered useful to participate in the national joint review of term time working of school staff, although the Council would not be bound by its findings.  

RESOLVED that

(1) Full Council be recommended to approve a flat 1.2% pay increase for all staff (excluding teachers who are covered by a separate statutory pay negotiating process).

(2)  Pursuant to (1) above, Members note that the pay increase is again higher than the proposed average pay settlement for local government staff negotiated at the national/regional levels between the Unions and Local Government employers.

(3)  Members also note that, as in the last three years since coming out of the nationally/regionally negotiated frameworks, Bromley staff will receive the 2016/17 pay increase in time for the April pay.

(4)  The Trade Unions’ pay claims for:

(i)  deletion of all local pay points which fall below the London Living Wage (Currently £9.40ph);

(ii)  a flat rate increase of £1 an hour on all other pay points; and

(iii)  a guarantee of no negative changes to terms and conditions;

be rejected.

  (5)  Participation in a national joint review of term time working of school staff for those schools where the local authority has statutory employment responsibilities be approved.

Under the Localism Act 2011 the Council was required to publish a Pay Policy Statement which had to be approved by full Council each year. The Committee considered the 2016/17 Pay Policy Statement and also approved an increase in the bicycle allowance rate from 10p per mile to 20p per mile from 1^st April 2016, consistent with the HMRC recommended rate for bicycle users.

RESOLVED that

(1) full Council be recommended to approve the 2016/17 Pay Policy Statement.

(2) An increase in the Bicycle Allowance rate to 20p per mile be approved.

Report CSD16012

The regulations governing Members’ Allowances required that, before the beginning of each financial year, the Council made a scheme of allowances for that year and the report detailed the proposed allowances for 2016/17. The allowances had remained frozen since 2009 due to the economic circumstances and the pressure on the Council’s budgets. The Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Allowances were not part of the scheme, but were usually considered in conjunction with it.

The Chairman reported that an informal cross-party working group had met to consider the Scheme.  The Working Group asked the Director of Corporate Services to review the Scheme within six months, so that any changes could be in place before the 2018 local election, but recommended that the following changes be made for the 2016/17 scheme, all within the existing budget –

(a) the allowances for the Chairmen of Development Control Committee, General Purposes and Licensing Committee, Executive and Resources PDS Committee and Health and Wellbeing Board be equalised at £8,670;

(b) the allowance for the Leader of the largest opposition group be aligned with the allowance for PDS Chairmen (£7,140), with the allowance for the Leader of the second opposition being half of this amount (£3,570). 

(c) The allowance for the Deputy Mayor be increased to the level of the Executive Assistants (£3,575);

(d) All amounts in the scheme be rounded up or down as appropriate to the nearest £5.

Schedule 1 to the scheme as amended by these proposals is set out below.

Allowances for the year ending 31st March 2017

RESOLVED that Council be recommended to approve the Members Allowances Scheme 2016/17 and the Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Allowances for 2016/17, with allowances frozen except as amended above. 

Report CSD16014

As part of the Committee’s consideration of the Members Allowances Scheme each year it requested brief reports from each of the Executive Assistants that had been appointed by the Leader.  Reports for 2015/16 had been received from Councillors Tom Philpott (Education) and Diane Smith (Care Services), and Councillor Will Harmer (assistant to the Leader) had sent his apologies and stated that he would supply a report in due course. The Committee was disappointed that it had not heard from the other Executive Assistant, Councillor Lydia Buttinger (Environment.)

RESOLVED that the reports from the Executive Assistants be noted.

Report CSD16013

The Hayes (Kent) Trust was a local charity whose main function was to make small grants for the benefit of the people of Hayes. Two of the six trustees were appointed by the Council. The four year term of office of one of the Council trustees, Mrs C Truelove, was due to end in May 2016 and the Trust had requested that she be re-appointed.   

RESOLVED that Mrs C Truelove be re-appointed as a Council representative on the Hayes (Kent) Trust for a four year period from May 2016 to May 2020.

The minutes of the Pensions Investment Sub-Committee meeting on 18^th November 2015 (excluding exempt information) were received.

The minutes of the Audit Sub-Committee meeting on 1^st December 2015 (excluding exempt information) were confirmed.

The minutes of the Local Joint Consultative Committee meeting on 8^th December 2015 were received.

The minutes of the Appeals Sub-Committee meetings held on 29^th September 2015 (adjourned to 4^th December 2015), 14^th December 2015 and 18^th December 2015 (excluding exempt information) were received.  

RESOLVED that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business referred to below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

The following summary

refers to matters

involving exempt information

The exempt minutes of the Pensions Investment Sub-Committee meeting on 18^th November 2015 were received.

The exempt minutes of the Audit Sub-Committee meeting on 1^st December 2015 were received.

The exempt minutes of the Appeals Sub-Committee meetings held on 29^th September 2015 (adjourned to 4^th December 2015), 14^th December 2015 and 18^th December 2015 were received.