Cabinet Member: Corporate Services

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/220

Contact: Karen Edwards, Director of Human Resources Tel: 07825 521526

Report by Director of Human Resources (CA9).

Quarterly staffing report providing details of key people numbers and analysis of main changes since the previous report.

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the report.

Recommendations agreed

Cabinet considered a report providing an update for Quarter 4 on key HR activities along with a refreshed workforce profile at Appendix 1.

Councillor Glynis Phillips, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, drew attention to the main points:

·       The apprenticeship programme was going in the right direction with 163 new apprenticeships in 2021/22 compared to 93 the previous year.  This was helping the Council to ‘grow its own’ staff in a competitive marketplace.

·       Spending on agency staff remained a concern at over £8m in Q4.  There was an urgent need for the Environment & Place directorate to finalise its structure to recruit to permanent places and Children’s Services was managing to reduce its numbers of agency staff.

·       A lack of qualifications in English and Maths had been identified as a barrier resulting in an imbalance in having a higher proportion of females in lower grade positions in the Council.  To redress this, staff were being given the opportunity to achieve Level 2 qualifications – the equivalent of GCSE qualifications.

The recommendations were moved by Councillor Phillips, seconded by Councillor Hannaby and agreed.

RESOLVED: to note the report.