Agenda and minutes

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that Councillor Richard Romain declared an interest by virtue of his membership of the Pension Fund Investments Panel.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:  That all items be considered with the press and public present with the exception of the following item for the reasons set out below:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2007 be deferred until printed into the Council Bound Minute Book.

[Note:  The 13 June 2007 minutes are published on the Council's intranet and website].

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 13 June 2007 be deferred until printed in the Council Bound Minute Volume.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 19 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received at this meeting under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rules 19, 16 and 17 (Part 4B of the Constitution) respectively.

Report of the Director of People, Performance and Policy.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Director of People, Performance and Policy, which detailed two individual business cases for voluntary redundancy.  In response to a number of questions from Members, officers provided the following information:

·                    the authority was unlikely to be recruiting any new personal assistants in the next twelve months unless current/existing personal assistants left the authority’s employment;

·                    there was no further information available as to whether the Secretary of State had agreed to capitilisation of the costs associated with voluntary redundancy;

·                    if Members were not minded to grant voluntary redundancy for individuals, it was likely that individuals would face compulsory redundancy.  Compulsory redundancy was a less attractive financial package for individuals, and there was some legal risks associated with adopting this course of action.

In relation to Paragraph 2.29 of the report, Members sought clarification of what was meant by alternative measures in respect of the savings required.

Members asked that future reports clearly identify the sources of savings with respect to funding gaps.  Members were reassured that the Corporate Director of Finance had considered the report and had drafted Paragraph 2.29 accordingly.

RESOLVED:  That (1) it be noted that in the cases detailed in the report of the Director of People, Performance and Policy, Regulation 4 of the Local Government (Early Termination of Employments) (Discretionary Compensation) (England and Wales) Regulations applied; and

(2)  in the cases detailed in the report of the Director of People, Performance and Policy, discretion be exercised under Regulation 5 (Power to Increase the Statutory Redundancy Payments) and Regulation 6 (Discretionary Compensation).