Agenda item

The Assistant Director of Professional Services, Kevin Gordon, introduced the report and detailed staff turnover percentages for the period July to September 2011.  It was noted that during this period 66 staff left employment whilst 57 started employment with the Council.  The majority of staff turnover in the period was due to resignations (24) or completion of contracts (21).  The reported average sickness rate for the quarter was an average of 2.5 days per full time equivalent (FTE) which had decreased compared to the same period for the previous year. 

It was outlined that the use of temporary staff had decreased and was showing an overall reducing trend. Members were informed that many of the plans, including retirement set out by Directorates in the December report had begun to take effect.  It was submitted that uncertainty around funding arrangements post April 2012 and changes to how services were delivered, for example, Transactional Services, would influence how the Council made use of its temporary staff in the future. 

Members’ attention was also drawn to a number of posts which remained the most difficult to recruit and included children’s social workers, mental health social workers and building control surveyors.  A Member questioned what impact the recent legislation for temporary staff would have, to which it was acknowledged that the agency worker regulations would have some financial impact but that these costs would be consumed within existing budgets. 

A Member raised the issue of the performance of the Council’s recruitment agency Pertemps.  The Assistant Director for Professional Services stated that Pertemps had been supplying agency staff to the Council for a number of years and performance of the contract would be added to the Forward Work Programme for the Committee and examined in detail at a future meeting. 

(Councillor Stokes left the meeting). 

A Member commented that the proportion of staff who are of Black or Minority Ethnic (BAME) heritage as a ratio of the proportion of resident working age population had increased in 2011/12 Quarter 1 to 43.3% compared to 41.8% for the same period in 2010/11. It was submitted that whilst this was commendable, other sections of the staff work force may be under-represented.  The Assistant Director for Professional Services stated that whilst the issue could be added to the Forward Work Programme, there would need to be clear evidence of a long term trend prior to making any changes to policies.  In addition, it was suggested that the salary levels for BAME workers also be examined at a future meeting.

Resolved – That the report be noted.