Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor R Bailey and D Newton.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

In the interest of openness Councillor P Bates declared that he was the Portfolio Holder for Communities and Health.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a total period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the Committee on any matter relevant to the work of the body in question.  

Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.  It is not required to give notice of the intention to make use of public speaking provision, however, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours notice is encouraged.

Councillor S Corcoran commented that it was costly to keep reviewing and changing the management structure. In response, it was stated that this change had come about following the creation of the People, Place and Corporate structure and the streamlining of management in these areas.

To consider the report.

The Committee considered a report on the restructure of the line management arrangements for the Director of Public Health, the implications for the current post holder and the proposals of how new arrangements are to be recruited to.

It was reported since the report was published the Council had been notified of a 1% pay award for staff covered by National Medical and Dental Terms and Conditions.  The award applied from 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017 respectively.  The pay award had changed the redundancy figures set out in paragraph 5.1 of the report.  The amended figures were: Actual Salary  - £148,369, and Max redundancy costs (including pension costs) - £296,738.

RESOLVED:  That Staffing Committee

1          note the rationale for deletion of the current post of Director of Public Health, which reports to the Chief Executive, and its replacement of a Director of Public Health which reports to the Director of Adult Social Care and Health, within the People Directorate.

2          approve the termination of the contract of employment of the current Director of Public Health and for this to be at a date to be agreed.

3          approve the costs of a severance package for the current Director of Public Health, up to the maximum level as set out in paragraph 5.1 in the report, provided that the terms shall comply with any regulations in relation to public sector severance that apply to the post holder and are in force at the date of termination, up to a maximum of £296,738.

4          approve the job description and person specification for the new Director of Public Health and delegate negotiation to the Executive Director of People and Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair of Staffing Committee, with the Faculty of Public Health regarding the final versions.

5          delegate authority to the Executive Director of People and Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair of Staffing Committee, to agree to the commencement of an appropriately timed recruitment process to the revised role of Director of Public Health  which gives greater clarity to the role and reporting lines within the Council.