Agenda and minutes

Venue: Meeting Room 5, First Floor - Harrow Council Hub, Forward Drive, Harrow

Contact: Alison Atherton, Senior Professional - Democratic Services  Tel: 07825 726493 E-mail:  alison.atherton@harrow.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

18.

Membership

To note under the provisions of the formula membership the attendance of any nominees.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no nominee Members in attendance.

19.

Declarations of Interest

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary or non pecuniary interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

 

(a)          all Members of the Panel;

(b)          all other Members present.

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members.

Resolved Items

20.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 95 KB

That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 October 2022 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting of the Chief Officers’ Employment Panel held on 13 October 2022 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

21.

Director Posts in People Directorate

Report of the Corporate Director, People

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members received a report which sought retrospective approval for the creation of 6 D1 graded posts within the People Directorate.

 

The Corporate Director, People, introduced the report and explained that the 6 posts within the Directorate had been graded D1 following job evaluation.  The results of the job evaluations had resulted in these staff being paid or to potentially be paid more than £100,000 per annum and approval of these remuneration packages had not previously been sought from the Panel.

 

A Member expressed concern that this situation had arisen and sought reassurance that it would not happen again.  Another Member sought clarification as to whether the posts were currently filled and how the five posts within Children Services would be funded.  The Corporate Director confirmed that all of the posts were filled and that the Children Services budget was currently overspending and the five posts within that service had been upgraded without proper adjustment to the budget.  There would however be efficiency proposals coming forward.

 

The Chair stated that the report regularised the position and Members noted that as staff were in the positions and doing the jobs there was little choice in terms of approval.  An officer clarified the process in terms of HR and advised that additional steps had been put into the process to prevent this situation arising again.

 

The Panel were unanimous in their concern that they had been put in the position of having to retrospectively approve the 6 remuneration packages.  The Chair clearly stated that approval would not be given if this situation arose again.

 

RESOLVED:  That the following posts in the People Directorate with salary packages of £91,269 - £107,264 be retrospectively approved:

 

·                 Head of Service:  Children's Access

·                 Head of Service:  Children in Need

·                 Head of Service:  Quality Standards & Practice Improvement

·                 Head of Service:  Corporate Parenting

·                 Head of Service:  Early Help & Youth Justice

·                 Head of Service:  Specialist Learning & Disability and Children & Young Adults with Disabilities

22.

Any Other Urgent Business - Appointment of Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) pdf icon PDF 129 KB

Which cannot otherwise be dealt with.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members agreed to consider an urgent report, which had been circulated on the supplemental agenda, that set out the process for the interim arrangements of the statutory post of Director of Adult Social Services (DASS), the proposed arrangements for the period between the end date of the current interim Director of Adult Social Services until the start date of the appointment of permanent Director of Adult Social Services.

 

The Corporate Director, People, advised that the Director of Adult Social Services position was currently filled on an interim ‘acting up’ basis and this arrangement was ending on 31 December 2022.  It was proposed that Corporate Director take on this role until the redesign of the service had been completed and then recruitment for a permanent DASS would be undertaken.

 

In response to a Member’s question about the savings arising, the Corporate Director confirmed that this was due to recruitment of a permanent DASS taking six months.  There would be no additional cost to the Council.  The Chair added that as the DASS was a statutory post, any decision would be bought to the Panel.

 

RESOLVED:  That the role of Corporate Director of People be amended to include the statutory duties of the Director of Adult Social Services for the period following the departure of the current postholder on 31 December 2022 until a new permanent Director of Adult Social Services was appointed in the new financial year.