To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Toni Fagan, Councillor Phillip Howells and Councillor Yolande Watson.

To receive details of members nominated to attend the meeting in place of a member of the board.

There were no named substitutes. 

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the board in respect of items on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were received.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 7^th October 2022.

The committee considered the minutes of the meeting of the Scrutiny Management Board held on 7th October 2022. 

The Chairperson invited any proposed corrections for accuracy to the minutes.  There were none. 

The minutes were agreed as a correct record. 

To receive any written questions from members of the public.

No questions from members of the public had been received.

To receive any written questions from members of the council.

No questions from members of the Council had been received. 

To consider Herefordshire Council’s Human Resources and Workforce Strategy.

36.       HEREFORDSHIRE COUNCIL’S HUMAN RESOURCES AND WORKFORCE STRATEGY 

The committee considered Herefordshire Council’s Human Resources and Workforce Strategy, with questions to Councillor Liz Harvey - Cabinet Member - Finance, Corporate Services and Planning  and Tracey Sampson - Director of HR and Organisational Development and a report from the Director of HR and Organisational Development to provide a summary of progress against the strategic aims in the council’s workforce strategy.

The Director of HR and Organisational Development was invited to present the report.  She explained that this was the first time that the strategy had been brought before a scrutiny committee of the Council. Thereafter, the committee questioned Councillor Liz Harvey - Cabinet Member - Finance, Corporate Services and Planning and Tracey Sampson - Director of HR and Organisational Development on the development of the Human Resources and Workforce Strategy. 

Questions included questions on organisational staffing structure, communicating Council priorities and values, the use of agency workers and cost implications, support employees, particularly female staff, with childcare responsibilities. 

The Cabinet Member was asked about the Council's organisational staffing structure and the extent that it links clearly to delivery of Council priorities, key competences and service and organisational outcomes and asked the Cabinet Member whether she believed the organisational structure the Council had was the most optimum to deliver what she and on the Executive would like the Council to deliver and whether there was work being done on organisation structure. 

The Cabinet Member commented that she felt that the structure fairly well aligned to the County Plan and the services the council is delivering.  Staff can see how they work that they do aligns to the council plan and the deliverables in the Delivery Plan and the structure is quite well fitted to its purpose.  Whether it is an optimum structure depends also on working within the organisation and a one council approach and cross cutting services. She welcomed, however, any suggestions from the committee on how this might improved. 

It was also asked whether the Council's KPIs and staffing of the different departments reflected the priorities of the Council.  It was asked to what extent that Herefordshire Council priorities and values are communicated to staff and the extent to which it was made clear how what they do makes a difference to delivery of the Council's priorities and services to local residents.

It was asked to what extent the Council brand is communicated to staff and for recruitment. It was asked to what extent the Council provided appropriate facilities to support employees, particularly female staff, but, it was emphasised, not only female staff, with childcare responsibilities.

There were questions on the overall level of agency spend for the Council as a whole had increased from £2.4 million to £10.9 million over the four years to 2021 to 2022 and that the main departmental pressure to this appeared from the children and young people's services department, but also that other Council departments with escalating agency staff costs.

At the end of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

To consider the work programme for the board. Papers to follow. 

The committee considered its work plan for the remainder of the 2022-2023 municipal year and noted the proposed amendments, including the cancellation of the meeting previously scheduled for 2nd December 2022 and deferral of the items for that meeting to the meeting on 9th January 2023 (Budget performance and Treasury Management items to be moved to 9th January 2023 meeting) and a new meeting date on 17th January 2023 to consider the Council's draft budget proposals.

RESOLVED:

That the meeting of the Scrutiny Management Board previously scheduled for 2nd December 2022 be cancelled and items deferred to the meeting on 9th January 2023.

That a meeting of the Scrutiny Management Board be scheduled to take place on 17th January 2023 to consider the draft budget proposals for 2023-2024. 

To agree the date of the next meeting.

The date of the next meeting of the Scrutiny Management Board was agreed to be held on 9th January 2023.