Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2017/172

Contact: Sarah Currell, HR Manager – Business Systems Tel: 07867 467793

Report by Director of Human Resources (CA9).

This report gives an update on staffing numbers and related activity during the period 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2018.  It gives details of the actual staffing numbers at 31 March 2018 in terms of Full Time Equivalents.  These are shown by directorate in Appendix 1. In addition, the report provides information on the cost of posts being covered by agency staff and an Agency Trend analysis in Appendix 2. 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.

Recommendations agreed.

Cabinet considered a report that gave an update on staffing numbers and related activity during the period 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2018.  It gave details of the actual staffing numbers at 31 March 2018 in terms of Full Time Equivalents.  In addition, the report provided information on the cost of posts being covered by agency staff. 

Councillor Price, Opposition Deputy Leader, highlighted the sharp rise in agency spend and the need to understand the underlying reasons for it to ensure that posts were not being filled by agency staff when they would be better filled by permanent staff. She welcomed the new staffing report that in future would provide greater detail particularly around agency staff.

Councillor Heathcoat, Deputy Leader of the Council,  in moving the recommendations commented that the increase in permanent staff in Quarter 3 had been caused by bringing Carillion staff in house. In response to the points raised by Councillor Price she noted that agency staff were necessary to ensure continuity of services to residents. The figures were for both Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 following the start of the new contract so appeared high. Councillor Heathcoat commented that overall there had been an annual reduction on 2016/17.

RESOLVED:                              to note the report.