Agenda and minutes

Cllrs Blunden, Puttock and Wade.

To confirm the minutes of the meetings held on 13 January and 15 May 2017 as correct records.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meetings held on 13 January and 15 May 2017 be signed by the Chairman as correct records.

To note any declarations of interest made by members in connection with an agenda item.  The nature of the interest must also be specified.

Members are asked to discuss any possible interests with Democratic Services prior to the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made by members in connection with an agenda item.

To note any issues raised during the public participation period.

No issues were raised during the public participation period.

To approve fees and expenses for Returning Officers for 2017/18.

The Committee considered the fees and expenses for Returning Officers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to conduct local elections. These were recommended by a Working Party of representatives of Hampshire County Council and other Local Authorities in the area.

In setting the fees, the Working Party had taken into account the Government’s decision to increase the national living wage each year, rising from the current £7.20 per hour to £7.50 per hour effective from 1 April 2017.

RESOLVED:

That the fees and expenses for Returning Officers for 2017/18, as set out in Appendix 1 to these minutes, be approved.

To consider the proposed changes to the Pay Bands 1-4 and make recommendations to the Council.

The Committee considered proposed changes to pay bands 1 to 4.

In recognising the valuable contribution that employees made to the work of the Council, a review of the lowest pay bands had been undertaken to achieve a minimum hourly rate of £8.00 per hour, to be implemented at the earliest opportunity. This was 0.50p higher than the national minimum wage of £7.50 for over 25s.

The proposed new bands would be introduced on a phased basis, details of which were set out in paragraph 2.1 of the report.

The full year cost of the proposals would be £181,000. Provision of £60,000 had been made in the 2017/18 budget, and an additional £25,000 would be required during the current year. Provision of £100,000 had been made in the medium term financial plan 2018/19, so an additional £81,000 would be required in that year’s budget.

The Employee Engagement Panel at their meeting on 1 June 2017 welcomed the proposal.

RECOMMENDED:

(a)             That the proposed new pay bands 1 – 4 attached as Appendix 2 to these minutes be approved and implemented on a phased basis; and

(b)             That additional expenditure of £25,000 be authorised in the current financial year and that additional provision of £81,000 be made in the Medium Term Financial Plan 2018/19 for this purpose.

To receive a verbal update from the Environmental & Regulation Service Manager.

The Environmental and Regulation Service had recently undergone a restructure; not only to meet financial targets but also to ensure that the service was fit for purpose in the future. The first phase of the restructure had been to design a robust and effective environmental health management team.

The new structure also provided a new role in the Licensing Team at a higher managerial level. The Council had been successful in recruiting to this post and a highly experienced Licensing Manager would be joining the service from the beginning of August.

A number of key pieces of work for the licensing service, including the review of the Licensing Policy, would be commenced when the new manager arrived.  Recommendations for an amended policy would be brought to the Committee for consideration in the near future.