Agenda item

The Director for Corporate Services to submit a report to seek approval for the new Workforce Strategy.

The Corporate Director submitted a report to seek approval for the new Workforce Strategy following staff engagement and the refresh of the corporate mission, vision, values and priorities. The strategy looks to understand employee aspirations and to promote MBC as a great place to work and build a career. MBC needs to be an employer of choice to attract and retain workforce.

A member highlighted that at 3.5 in the report that the wording requires clarification. This section should have additional wording added and therefore read as  “Given the perceptions of inequality and burden to administrate, the potential infrastructure costs to address and the frustrations felt by staff, it is proposed that to support the launch of the new strategy the parking charge for staff using the privately owned parking spaces in the sidings be discontinued”.

Following a series of workshops with staff it was highlighted that the staff car parking arrangements in the sidings car park at Parkside was a frustration due to the burden and inconsistent application of the staff parking charge. Manual enforcement and administration is a lengthy process and time consuming. The release of this administration time would be of benefit to the service area. This matter has been taken to the Joint Staff Working Group (JSWG) meeting held 4th July 2018. The JSWG did raise concern regarding the number of available car parking spaces if a charge is not made. If the ‘sidings’ area was to become unavailable in the future a revised arrangement would need to be made.

A member suggested that all staff wanting to use the sidings car park should pay a set charge of £2 per week regardless of salary banding and whether part time or full time working.

To support the launch and aspirations set out in the new strategy members supported the recommendation to cease the staff parking charge with immediate effect. A review will be made in 6 months time.

The recommendations were moved by Councillor Glancy and seconded by the Vice Chair.

All members were unanimously in favour of recommendations 1, 2 and 5.

One member abstained from voting in favour of recommendations 3 and 4.

RESOLVED that:

1)     the Workforce Strategy and action plan be approved for implementation with immediate effect.

2)     that delegated authority be granted to the HR and Communications Manager to make minor amends to the strategy in line with employment legislation and best practice and to keep the action plan updated and refreshed.

3)     in recognition of the potential costs of addressing the inequality in the current system, coupled with the ambitions articulated within the Workforce Strategy that the charges for parking in the non-public area known as “the sidings” behind Parkside be removed.

4)     delegated authority be granted to the Director for Corporate Services to finalise the details and establish an appropriate method for implementing the removal of charges in the non-public area known as “the sidings” behind Parkside.

5)     that the revised procedure for evaluating and grading a post be approved.