ITEM CA13
CABINET – 18 SEPTEMBER 2007
ESTABLISHMENT REVIEW
Report by Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development
Introduction
1. This report provides an update on activity since implementation of the Establishment Review and associated Recruitment Approval process on 1 August 2005. It makes particular reference to the objectives and targets of the Review and progress made against them. In addition it gives details of the agreed establishment figure at 30 June 2007 together with staff numbers reported at that date. Objectives of the Review
2. The overall objectives of the review are to:-
· gain control over the numbers of staff, which should result in an initial stabilisation and subsequent reduction in numbers as well as cost savings; · achieve a shift in distribution of resources to front-line services and certain approved business critical roles; · reduce overall costs associated with temporary/interim staff and recruitment advertising; · handle redeployment more effectively; · raise accountability across the Council in terms of resource allocation.
Progress Against Targets
3. To ensure that we delivered the agreed objectives of the Establishment Review a number of targets were proposed. These are outlined below with a statement of progress to date.
4. The identification of an agreed establishment figure. All Service areas within Directorates have an agreed establishment figure which is updated on a quarterly basis. The Workforce Information Team within Shared Services will be working closely with Service areas to ensure establishment data is accurate.
5. A documented case for each vacancy, with a detailed audit trail for a decision to recruit or remove from establishment has been in place since August 2005.
6. An agreed description of front-line, business critical and back-office services would be in place. The exempt list was reduced in scope with effect from 1 April 2006 and continues to be monitored in terms of appropriateness.
7. A centralised system of approvals for recruitment based in Corporate HR & OD. This has been operational since 1 August 2005. There is a clear ‘business as usual’ process in place across the Council with the objective of turning around requests within five working days of receipt, which includes vacancies going through the Job Finder service.
8. The involvement of the Cabinet Member for Change Management in the process. Regular updates on progress are in place.
9. All staff in the redeployment pool to be considered for each vacancy. This is now an integral part of the recruitment approval process. All vacancies coming through the approvals process go to the Job Finder Service before being released for advertisement. Procedures have been tightened up since the transfer of HR into Shared Services and exempt posts are now also part of this process. Since the job finder service was introduced in January 2007, there have been 16 successful redeployments.
10. There were also annual reduction targets set for the costs of hiring temporary staff and recruitment advertising. We are continuing to drive efficiencies in both areas. Now that recruitment has moved to Shared Services, a recruitment line has been set up as one point of contact for the public which has reduced the necessity to print several different contact numbers in composite advertisements
Current Numbers
11. Establishment changes between 1 April 2007 and 30 June 2007 are shown below.
Establishment Changes between 1 April 2007 and 30 June 2007
A breakdown of movements by directorate and service area is provided at Appendices 1 and 2 (download as .xls file).
12. In support of this Heads of Service continue to provide reports by their service area on the following basis (dates below reflect this quarter’s reporting): · Establishment figure (FTE) at 31 March 2007 · Authorised vacancies (FTE) included in that number · FTE employed at 30 June 2007 · Reason for movement over the last quarter – details of new posts, resignations, temporary appointments · Vacancies at 30 June 2007 (FTE) · Number of posts removed from the establishment in this quarter · Number of posts added to the establishment in this quarter · Grant funded posts (FTE) · Vacancies included in these numbers covered by agency staff – in terms of FTE and cost
13. In headline terms, the establishment and staffing numbers (FTE) as at 30 June 2007 are Establishment 5255.49 (FTE in post 4680.49). These figures exclude the school bloc.
14. The latest trend data on the balance of teaching and non-teaching staff is as follows:
15. There have been 1096 applications through the Recruitment Approval process during the period 1 August 2005 and 30 June 2007.
16. During the period 1 April 2007 to 30 June 2007 there were 395 new starters with the Council: 212 were schools staff and 183 non-schools staff.
Current Activity
17. In taking the Establishment Review forward into its second year we agreed three additional areas which needed further attention.
· trend data on the balance between teaching and non-teaching staff would be monitored and included in future reports (see paragraph 14).
· vacancies held for longer than 6 months would need to be justified by directorates. A review of vacancies was carried out at 31 May 2007 via Business Managers within Directorates. As a result 287 vacancies which had been vacant for more than six months were deleted from establishments. The figures originally submitted by CYP&F Directorate showed a reduction of 142 posts. It has now been clarified that these equate to 115.11FTE. The CYP&F figures also take into account the fact that the Youth Offending Service transferred from Community Safety to CYP&F on 1 April 2007. The HR Business Partners have been tasked with reporting progress by the end of September 2007. The net reduction in establishment at 30 June 2007 for the whole quarter is, therefore, 203.72 FTE.
· balance between full time and part time workers would be monitored to ensure that the best interests of the Council and the taxpayer are served. For information, the numbers as at 30 June 2007 were as follows: Full time – 7574 and Part time – 13478. This equates to a total of 13298.0 FTE.
18. We continue to review the establishment process based on feedback from managers. All requests to recruit are now channelled through the Job Finder Service to ensure that anyone whose job is at risk is considered prior to advertising, if they meet the minimum specification for the job.
19. The recruitment activity moved to the Shared Services Centre on 2 July 2007. As part of this transfer of work we are undertaking a critical review of the establishment monitoring process to ensure that robust processes are in place to underpin the Establishment Review. Options being considered include Directorates managing their recruitment within an approved, fully funded complement and a mechanism to track required reductions in headcount following initiatives such as Shared Services. Proposals will be agreed with the County Council Management Team and the Cabinet Member for Change Management prior to implementation.
RECOMMENDATION
20. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
(a) note the report; and
(b) confirm that the Establishment Review continues to meet requirements in reporting and managing staffing numbers.
STEVE MUNN Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development Corporate Core
Background Papers: Nil
Contact Officer: Sue James, Corporate HR Officer, 01865 815465.
September 2007
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