Agenda, decisions and minutes

No declarations of interest were received.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Catt and Elliott.

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Joint Cabinet and Employment and General Committee of 10 January, 2017 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the provision of £100,000 from the Service Improvement Reserve approved by Council on 23 February, 2017 be used to establish a time-limited project manager post to lead and coordinate the work required by the council on HS2.

2.   That the Executive Director be granted delegated authority to approve a final version of the job description for the project manager post.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

To ensure the council has sufficient capacity to lead the work required to support HS2 proposals for a station and depot in the borough.

The Executive Director, Michael Rich, submitted a report seeking approval for the establishment of a new post to support development of the HS2 proposals for a station and depot in the borough.

Several officers within the development and growth service were currently providing support for the HS2 proposals; however these officers were also working on a number of other key development schemes around the borough. The proposals for HS2 included a maintenance depot in Staveley and high speed services stopping at Chesterfield station. The council would be required to work closely with partners to support and deliver the proposals that would ultimately lead to an increase in investment in the borough.

Full Council agreed on 23 February, 2017 (Council Minute No. 88)that £100,000 from the Service Improvement Reserve be used to fund additional capacity to work on HS2. The report proposed to establish a dedicated project manager post for a two year period in order to maximise the benefits for the borough and ensure the proposals are delivered on time and to quality. The job description and person specification were included as an appendix to the officer’s report.

The report outlined the consultations that had taken place with stakeholders and provided details of the financial, human resources and risk management implications. Alternative options along with their reasons for rejection were also included in the report.

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the provision of £100,000 from the Service Improvement Reserve approved by Council on 23 February, 2017 be used to establish a time-limited project manager post to lead and coordinate the work required by the council on HS2.

2.   That the Executive Director be granted delegated authority to approve a final version of the job description for the project manager post.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

To ensure the council has sufficient capacity to lead the work required to support HS2 proposals for a station and depot in the borough.

To move “That under Regulation 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements)(Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2000, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following Paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 – Paragraphs 1, 3 and 4 on the grounds that it contains information relating to individuals, information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person and to consultations or negotiations in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority and employees of the authority.”

RESOLVED –

That under Regulation 21 (1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements)(Access to Information)(England) Regulations 2000, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following Paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 – Paragraph 1, 3 and 4 on the grounds that it contains information relating to individuals and to consultations or negotiations in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority and employees of the authority and information about financial or business affairs.

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the changes to the structure of the Private Sector Housing Team be approved.

2.   That the proposals to delete existing posts and to establish new posts, as detailed in paragraph 3.20 of the officer’s report, be approved.

3.   That the Health and Wellbeing Manager be authorised to implement the changes.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

To meet the service needs of the Private Sector Housing Team and to ensure that the Local Authority is able to meet its statutory duties with regard to Private Sector Housing.

The Health and Wellbeing Manager submitted a report seeking approval for changes to the structure of the Private Sector Housing service.

Changes to the Housing Act 2004 and the introduction of new legislation had seen a dramatic increase in the work load for the Private Sector Housing service. In 2014 the service had undergone a restructure and two qualified Environmental Health Officers had taken up posts within the service. However, these two officers had recently left the authority leaving the service without officers that were experienced in delivering the statutory enforcement duties that the authority was responsible for.

The report proposed to delete the two vacant posts and establish 2 FTE Housing Regulation Officer posts with the essential requirement that both post holders be qualified Environmental Health professionals. Due to the expected increase in workload owing to further changes in legislation, the report also proposed to continually review the service’s staffing levels and seek approval for further changes as necessary.

The current and the proposed staffing structures were attached as appendices to the report along with the job descriptions and person specifications for the 2 new posts.

Consultation with existing employees had been undertaken, however, as the new posts were currently vacant there were no existing employees affected by the changes.

The report outlined the human resources, financial and legal implications. Alternative options along with their reasons for rejection were included in the report.

*RESOLVED –

1.   That the changes to the structure of the Private Sector Housing Team be approved.

2.   That the proposals to delete existing posts and to establish new posts, as detailed in paragraph 3.20 of the officer’s report, be approved.

3.   That the Health and Wellbeing Manager be authorised to implement the changes.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

To ensure that the Local Authority is able to meet its statutory duties with regard to Private Sector Housing.