Agenda and minutes

No declarations of interest were received.

No apologies for absence were received.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 24 August, 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Chief Finance Officer submitted a report seeking approval of the Tax Base calculation for 2016/17.

The Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 1992 (as amended) required the Borough Council as Billing Authority to calculate the tax base for the Borough and the Parishes and to notify the Major Precepting Authorities (Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Policy Authority), and those Parishes requesting it, by 31 January each year.

The report gave details of how the tax base was calculated and the legal implications.

*RESOLVED –

(1)       That the report for the calculation of the Council’s Tax Base for the whole and parts of the area for 2016/17 be approved.

(2)       That pursuant to the report and in accordance with Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 1992 (as amended), the amount calculated by Chesterfield Borough Council as its Tax Base for the year 2016/17 shall be:

REASON FOR DECISIONS

To fulfil a statutory requirement to enable the Council Tax to be set later in the financial year.

The Chief Finance Officer submitted a report seeking approval for the National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) estimates and NNDR1 Return for 2016/17.

The Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) Regulations 1992 (as amended) required the Borough Council as Billing authority to calculate the Tax Base for the Borough and the Parishes and to notify the Major Precepting Authorities (Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Fire Authority), and those Parishes which requested it, by 31^st January each year.

The Local Government Finance Act introduced the part-retention of income from Business Rates from April 2013. The income generated is to be shared between the Government (50%), the County Council (9%), the Fire Authority (1%) and the Borough Council (40%). The Council would then have to pay a tariff from its share of the income into a national pool (£11,138,000 in 2016/17). If Council’s share of the income was above a specified threshold (£3,087,390 in 2016/17) the excess amount would then be subject to a Levy at the rate of 50%. The Council joined a Derbyshire Pool in 2015/16 which would have the benefit of retaining the Levy within the County rather than paying it to Central Government.

The Council was required to complete and approve the NNDR1 Return, showing how the estimated income had been calculated and how it was to be shared.

The report gave details of how the tax base was calculated and also how the estimated net yield would be shared, together with the legal implications.

Delegated authority was sought for the Chief Finance Officer to make final changes if required prior to submission of the NNDR1 return to ensure the most accurate figures are submitted. 

*RESOLVED –

1)           That the estimated National Non Domestic Rates estimates as recorded on the NNDR1 Return (Appendix A to the report) be approved.

2)           That the Chief Finance Officer be given delegated authority to make any subsequent changes to the NNDR1 return that are identified before the final submission date of the 29 January, 2016. 

The HR Manager submitted a report recommending for approval the revised Confidential Reporting Policy.

The Confidential Reporting Policy was due for revision in 2013 and had been revised in consultation with the Policy Working Group.

The policy was updated to include recent changes to legislation and included reference to the new safeguarding policy and the legal duty imposed by the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The revised policy also gave clarity on issues of protection for individuals who raise an alert.

The draft policy had been presented to and approved by the Council Joint Consultative Committee on 17 December, 2015 which included trade union representatives.

*RESOLVED –

That the revised Confidential Reporting Policy, as attached to the report, be approved.

The HR Manager submitted a report recommending for approval the revised Drug and Alcohol Misuse Policy.

The Drug and Alcohol Misuse Policy was due for revision in 2009 and had been revised in consultation with the Policy Working Group, Health and Safety Advisor and trade union representatives.

The policy had been updated to include mandatory testing in certain exceptional circumstances and had been significantly rewritten to focus on offering the employee support and advice. The revised policy provided a more prescriptive approach to managing situations where drug and alcohol misuse is a concern.

The policy was presented and approved by the Council Joint Consultative Committee on 21 January, 2016 which included trade union representatives.

*RESOLVED –

That the revised Drug and Alcohol Misuse Policy, as attached to the report, be approved.

The HR Manager submitted a report seeking approval for the implementation of a revised Managing Attendance Policy.

The Managing Attendance Policy was due for revision in 2009 and had been revised in consultation with the Policy Working Group and trade union representatives.

The policy had been significantly rewritten to provide a more prescriptive and proactive approach to managing employee absence and attempted to shift the culture from ‘acceptance’ of employee absence to ‘management’ of employee absence. In response to research highlighting the importance of early intervention and good communication, the revised policy introduced strict guidance on contact with employees. In addition, the revised policy contained more stringent triggers for action and a more formal, prescriptive process during long term absences.

The draft policy was presented to the Council Joint Consultative Committee on 21 January, 2016 which included trade union representatives. The Committee approved the policy with two amendments outlined in the supplemental report attached to the report.

*RESOLVED –

That the revised Managing Attendance Policy, as attached to the report, be approved.

The HR Manager submitted a report recommending approval for the new Capability Policy.

Previously, guidance for managers in relation to employee work related performance issues was contained within the Disciplinary Policy and the exact process to follow and what action managers could take was unclear. The proposed new policy included a series of phases for managers to work through to support employees and established a sequence of warnings to be administered.

Included in the policy were template letters and performance improvement plans for managers to ensure consistency across the council.

The draft policy was presented to and approved by the Council Joint Consultative Committee on 21 January, 2016 which included trade union representatives.

*RESOLVED –

That the new Capability Policy, as attached to the report, be approved.

The HR Manager submitted a report seeking approval for the revised Stress Policy.

The Stress Policy was due for revision in 2014 and had been revised in consultation with the Policy Working Group, Health and Safety Advisor and trade union representatives.

The policy had been revised to provide a more prescriptive and proactive approach to managing employee stress and included clear guidelines on the process of stress risk assessments and the resulting action plans. The revised policy retained the requirement for absences relating to work related stress to be investigated by the Corporate Health and Safety Advisor to ensure action is taken appropriately.

The draft policy was presented to the Council’s Health and Safety Committee on 21 January, 2016 and was also presented and approved by the Council Joint Consultative Committee on 21 January, 2016.

*RESOLVED –

That the revised Managing Workplace Stress Policy, as attached to the report, be approved.

To receive the Minutes of the Council Joint Consultative Committee on 17 June, 2015.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Council Joint Consultative Committee held on 17 June, 2015 were submitted.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes be received and noted.

To receive the Minutes of the Council Health and Safety Committee meetings held on 29 July, 2015 and 29 October, 2015 and the Improvement Programme Report from the meeting held on 29 October, 2015.

The Minutes of the meetings of the Council Health and Safety Committee held on 29 July, 2015 and 29 October, 2015 and the Improvement Programme Report from the meeting held on 29 October, 2015 were submitted.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes and the Improvement Programme Report be received and noted.