Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bromley Civic Centre

Contact: Graham Walton  0208 461 7743

Items
No. Item

220.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND NOTIFICATION OF SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Alan Collins, Ellie Harmer, Teresa Te and Keith Onslow, who was replaced by Councillor William Huntington-Thresher.

221.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

222.

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ATTENDING THE MEETING

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 Tuesday 31st January 2017.

 

Minutes:

No questions had been received.

223.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 7TH DECEMBER 2016 pdf icon PDF 172 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 7th December 2016 be confirmed.

224.

2017/18 PAY AWARD pdf icon PDF 155 KB

Minutes:

Under the local terms and conditions of employment, and as part of the budget planning process, the Committee was requested to make a recommendation to full Council on pay awards for 2017/18. 

 

The Council continued to face a significant budget gap over the next four years, and against this background a flat 1.2% pay increase for all staff, except teachers, with an additional £300 (full time equivalent) paid to all staff earning less than £18,000 per annum. This was above the offer made to local government staff nationally and, subject to Council approval, would be paid on time. The proposal had been communicated to staff and the trades unions on 12th January 2017. The three unions, Unison, GMB and Unite, had already submitted a joint pay claim on 28th October 2016 which included a demand for a 4% increase across all salary points and allowances, an additional three days paid leave and a review of other allowances.

 

It was clarified that the additional £300 would benefit 64 corporate staff and 237 school staff (many of these were in part time posts, and would receive a pro-rata amount.) A Member suggested that officers inquire about the pay awards made to trades union staff.

 

RESOLVED that

 

(1) Council be recommended to approve the following -

 

·  A flat 1.2% pay increase for all staff (excluding teachers who are covered by a separate statutory pay negotiating process) with an additional £300 (full time equivalent) paid to those members of staff currently earning less than £18k per annum;

 

·  An increase in standby allowances as set out in paragraph 3.7 of the report;

 

·  That  the Trade Union’s claims including the 4% pay claim and the additional annual leave for staff be rejected (see paragraph 2.4 of the report.)

 

(2)  It is noted that the pay increase is again higher than the 2 year pay settlement (averaging 1%) agreed previously for local government staff negotiated at the national/regional levels between the Unions and Local Government employersof a 1% pay increase for 1 April 2016 and a 1% pay increase for 1 April 2017. 

 

  (3)  It is also noted that, as in the last five years since coming out of the nationally/regionally negotiated frameworks, Bromley staff will receive the 2017/18 pay increase in time for the April pay.

 

  (4)  It is noted that the Unions’ summary pay claim is for:

 

·  A 4% across the board increase on all salary points and allowances;

 

·  An additional 3 days paid annual leave for all employees of the Council;

 

·  A review of any other allowances which are currently paid with specific claims i.e. Christmas Cover.

225.

PAY POLICY STATEMENT 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 246 KB

Minutes:

Under the Localism Act 2011 the Council was required to publish a Pay Policy Statement approved by full Council each year. The Committee received and considered the Pay Policy Statement for 2017/18.

 

RESOLVED that full Council be recommended to approve the Pay Policy Statement 2017/18.

226.

MEMBERS ALLOWANCES SCHEME 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 209 KB

Minutes:

Report CSD17005

The regulations governing Members’ Allowances required that, before the beginning of each financial year, the Council had to make a scheme of allowances for that year. The report detailed the proposed allowances for 2017/18. The allowances had remained frozen since 2009 due to the economic circumstances and the pressure on the Council’s budgets, and this was what was set out in the proposed scheme at Appendix 2 to the report, although Members did have the option to increase the allowances – for example this could be in line with the 1.2% increase recommended for Council staff. The Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Allowances were not part of the scheme, but were usually considered in conjunction with it.

The Committee agreed that allowances should remain frozen, but considered and supported one small change to the scheme – that, in view of the decline in the number of Licensing meetings required, the allowance paid to Licensing Sub-Committee Members should be reduced to half the current level to £335 pa, or the same as for membership of one Plans Sub-Committee.  

RESOLVED that

 

(1)  Members Allowances remain at the current level for 2017/18, but with the  allowance for Members of the Licensing Sub-Committee being halved as outlined in paragraph 3.4 of the report.

(2)   The Members’ Allowances Scheme 2017/18 (appendix 2) and the Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral allowances for 2017/18 (paragraph 3.6) be submitted to Council for approval.

227.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS - ANNUAL REPORT 2016/17 pdf icon PDF 173 KB

Minutes:

Report CSD17006

 

As part of this Committee’s decisions in relation to the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2008/09, it was agreed that this Committee should receive an annual report from each of the Executive Assistants outlining the work they had undertaken over the past year in justification of the receipt of their allowance (currently £3,575pa).  This decision had been reaffirmed by the Committee at subsequent meetings. The Members Allowances Scheme 2016/17 allowed for up to five Executive Assistants, but only four were appointed for 2016/17 – Councillors Lydia Buttinger (Environment), Will Harmer (assistant to the Leader), Tom Philpott (Education) and Diane Smith (Care Services).

Reports had been requested from the current Executive Assistants for 2016/17 and were attached as Appendix A to the report. The Committee expressed disappointment that a report had not been received from Councillor Lydia Buttinger and asked that her report be sought and circulated.

RESOLVED that the reports received from Executive Assistants be noted.

228.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CORPORATE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE pdf icon PDF 116 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered proposals for a new corporate complaints procedure to replace the procedure that had been in place since 2006. It was proposed that the three stage process would be simplified and streamlined into a two stage process, leading to quicker resolution of issues for complainants. Complaints relating to children’s and adult social care were governed by specific statutory requirements, and these would remain unchanged.    

 

RESOLVED that the new corporate complaints procedure be approved.

229.

PROGRAMME OF MEETINGS 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 118 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CSD17004

 

The Committee considered the proposed programme of meetings for 2017/18. The programme, which had been subject to extensive consultation with Members and officers, was largely based on the current 2016/17 timetable. One change to the published timetable was proposed and agreed – that the SACRE meeting proposed for 28th June 2017 be moved to 12th July 2017.

 

A number of Members commented on the growing number of changes to meeting dates, and suggested that where this was because of the unavailability of the Chairman there should be a greater expectation that the Vice-Chairman should take the chair, rather than that the date should change. Other Members commented that the timetable was already very full, with few options for moving meetings, and that sometimes there were very valid reasons for dates being changed.

 

 The chairman noted these comments and urged that there should be more discipline in sticking to the published timetable.

 

RESOLVED that, subject to any changes to meeting arrangements subsequently agreed by Members, the Programme of Meetings for 2017/18 be approved (including SACRE moving to 12th July 2017, as outlined above.)

230.

UPDATES TO THE SCHEME OF DELEGATION pdf icon PDF 61 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CSD16173

 

At the annual Council meeting in May each year, the Council’s Scheme of Delegation to Officers was received from the Leader in respect of executive functions, and approved in respect of non-executive functions. Following recent changes to portfolios and to officer structures, an updated scheme was presented. No additional delegations were proposed, other than to add a paragraph in Part 1 of the Scheme confirming that where legislation or officer titles changed the scheme was presumed to remain in effect until it could be formally updated.

 

RESOLVED that the updated Scheme of Delegation to Officers in respect of executive functions received from the Leader of the Council be noted, and Council be recommended to approve the updated Scheme of Delegation to Officers in respect of non-executive functions.  

231.

PENSION BOARD - MINUTES 10TH NOVEMBER 2016 pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the Local Pension Board meeting held on 10th November 2016 were received.

232.

PENSIONS INVESTMENT SUB-COMMITTEE: MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 16TH NOVEMBER 2016, EXCLUDING EXEMPT INFORMATION pdf icon PDF 190 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the Pensions Investment Sub-Committee meeting held on 16th November 2016 were received.

233.

AUDIT SUB-COMMITTEE: MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 (EXCLUDING EXEMPT INFORMATION) pdf icon PDF 201 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the Audit Sub-Committee meeting held on 29th November 2016 (excluding exempt information) were received.

234.

LOCAL JOINT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE: MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 6TH DECEMBER 2016 pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Minutes:

The meeting of the Local Joint Consultative Committee due to be held on 6th December 2016 had not taken place as the meeting was not quorate. A note explaining this was received. It was confirmed that action had been taken to ensure that sufficient staff-side representatives were present in future.

235.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 AS AMENDED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) (VARIATION) ORDER 2006 AND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

The Chairman to move that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed 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.

Minutes:

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 summaries

refer to matters

involving exempt information

 

236.

PENSION FUND TRIENNIAL VALUATION

Minutes:

The Committee considered recommendations from the Pensions Investment Sub-Committee relating to the outcome of the 2016 Triennial Valuation report and agreed to refer the Sub-Committee’s recommendations to full Council.  

237.

AUDIT SUB-COMMITTEE: EXEMPT MINUTES - 29TH NOVEMBER 2016

Minutes:

The exempt minutes of the Audit Sub-Committee’s meeting on 29th November 2016 were received.