Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To note any urgent items of business which the Chair has consented to being considered under the provisions of Section 100(B) 4(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no urgent items of business to consider.

Members should declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and Non Statutory Interest as defined by the Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of:

a)       any business on the agenda

b)       any urgent additional items to be considered

c)       any matters arising out of those items

and if appropriate, withdraw from the meeting at the relevant time.

There were no declarations of interest made.

To consider the minutes of the last meeting held on 1^st November 2023.

Moved by Councillor Duncan McGregor and seconded by Councillor Mary Dooley

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Employment and Personnel Committee held on 1^st November 2023 be approved as a correct record.

The Committee considered a report which sought approval for the establishment of a new Land and Property Assistant post.

The report set out the work of the Senior Valuer and the support they had historically received from temporary and shared officers.  The Senior Valuer had had no support since 2020 and during large project work, such as the annual asset valuation other work had to be delayed as there was no other officer in the Council carrying out / assisting in valuation work.

The proposal was to create a new role to assist the Senior Valuer and to provide support and assistance for the Council’s day-to-day property management functions.  The role would support the effective management of the Council’s property portfolio including land, operational buildings, tenanted (investment) property, covering both commercial and residential assets and undertake and manage a range of day-to-day activities including but not limited to, Landlord and Tenant matters, property inspections, rent reviews and lease renewals.  The proposed job description was attached to the report at Appendix 1 and the person specification was attached to the report at Appendix 2.  The post had historically been evaluated and graded at Grade 4 (£24,405 - £25,657).

The Committee expressed its support of the establishment of the role and agreed to recommend to Council for the budget increase required.

Moved by Councillor Duncan McGregor and seconded by Councillor Sandra Peake

RESOLVED that (1) establishment of a Land and Property Assistant, for the reasons set out in the report, be supported;

          (2) the Committee recommend to Council that a budget be created to fund the new post via the Council’s General Fund.

The Committee considered a report which sought approval for the establishment of an additional Communications Officer.

The report set out that a staffing review of the Communications, Media and Design team had taken place to assess the increasing responsibilities as the team was evolving to manage demanding digital and media activities.  Following the review, it was recommended that an additional Communications Officer post be established.  The team would be moving to a multi-tasked approach to workload, so any of the existing team could undertake each other’s tasks and activities to improve flexibility.  The proposed post would mirror the current Communications Officer post. The post was currently graded at Grade 6 (£29,767 - £32,056).

The Committee expressed its support of the establishment of the additional role within the Communications, Media and Design Team and agreed to recommend to Council for the budget increase required.

Moved by Councillor Duncan McGregor and seconded by Councillor Mary Dooley

RESOLVED that (1) establishment of an additional Communications Officer, for the reasons set out in the report, be supported;

          (2) the Committee recommend to Council that a budget be created to fund the new post via the Council’s General Fund.