Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from the Assistant Director for Transformation and Commercial.

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Corporate Services and Communication joined the meeting remotely.

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case day Friday 11 February).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

None.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 17 January 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

With reference to the future of Redditch Library, the Panel was informed that the matter would be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board (OSPB).  All Members were free to attend meetings of OSPB.

The Panel had requested an overview of the activities and initiatives being undertaken by the Council in support of Smarter, Healthier and Greener ways of working.

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility (CMR) for Corporate Services and Communication introduced the report noting that, from the perspective of developments in IT, there was a massive opportunity for the Council to move forward and make good decisions based on good knowledge.  Officers and Members were working at pace to increase productivity and improve communication.

The Strategic Director of Commercial and Change made the following main points:

·       The Council had had a flexible working policy for many years and had been looking to build on this before the pandemic.  More recently, following the pandemic, there had been a move towards use of Microsoft Teams as a basis for flexible and mobile working.

·       Given increased flexible and mobile working there was a need to optimise the Council’s estate and consider whether there was sufficient capacity.  Other councils had taken a range of approaches to this.

·       Consideration was being given to providing employees with the opportunity to purchase an electric vehicle (EV) through a salary sacrifice scheme.

·       The Council’s move to LED lighting should be seen in the context of rising electricity costs.

·       There was a need to strike a balance between meeting the needs of residents and maintaining good productivity.

The Chairman noted the overview nature of the report and reminded the Panel that this was an opportunity to identify any specific issues that they would like to consider in more depth at a future meeting.  The Panel was given an opportunity to ask questions and the following main points were raised:

·       In response to a question about the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, the Panel was informed that as part of the EV scheme participants would be provided with a home charger.  There were a number of ways to take forward such a scheme and the approach taken would depend on the number of employees who wished to take part.  It was confirmed that the chargers in the underground car park at County Hall were specifically for use by the County Council’s fleet of EVs, something that could be changed as necessary.  Concern was expressed that the scheme should be accessible to all employees whatever their residential circumstances.  In response, it was confirmed that any scheme would aim to include mitigations for employees who did not have access to off street parking.

·       A Member noted that there had been little investment in the Council’s estate in the last ten years and, given the age of the Council’s assets, it was likely that investment would be needed in the next ten years.  It was suggested that decisions about what was done next would be critical.  The Strategic Director reminded Members that the Council had recently taken back resources from Place Partnership Limited (PPL) and was now in a better place to look at what was needed.  It was acknowledged that buildings were getting older and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 350.

The Panel had requested an update on the Council’s position in relation to recruitment and retention of staff, including challenges faced, recruitment to specialist roles, vacancy management and the use of consultants.

By way of introduction, the Assistant Director for Human Resources, Organisational Development and Engagement made the following points:

·       The Panel was reminded that nationally recruitment and retention remained difficult and the recruitment market was now increasingly employee-led, with employees being able to choose from multiple roles.  Data from the Local Government Association showed that 78% of all councils and 85% of upper tier authorities were experiencing problems with recruitment.

·       A new workforce strategy had been developed which set out where the Council would need to be in three years’ time, including the infrastructure which would need to be in place.  In terms of recruitment, the aim was to set the County Council out as an employer of choice in a competitive market.

·       Over 80% of the Council’s workforce lived in Worcestershire and over 40% worked part time.  58% of employees were within 10 years of retirement, although it was acknowledged that with early access to pensions being available with little reduction in benefits, many employees would choose to retire early.  There was a need to address succession planning in key areas.

·       In terms of interventions, payment of market forces supplements and welcome and retention payments needed to be evidence based.  Members were reminded about the successful scheme to recruit and retain social workers in Children’s Services.  As of December 2021, 92% of all positions and 99% of management posts were permanently filled.  Regionally, no other local authority had comparable figures, although it was acknowledged that Birmingham City Council was able to offer better rates of pay.  The Social Work Academy had been another success providing recruits with a clear career pathway.

·       At Quarter 4 2020/21 the Council had a turnover rate of 7.03% compared with an average rate for local authorities of 13.6%.  Workforce engagement was important and the Council had been responsive to points raised in the staff survey.  The employee value proposition (EVP) was key and would set out the unique set of benefits that the Council would offer.

·       An Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy had been developed and an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager was currently being recruited.

In the ensuing discussion, the following main points were raised:

·       The Chairman noted that the report was wide-ranging and, although some interventions were possible, many other factors were not under the Council’s control with market forces playing their part.  It was confirmed that exit interviews were undertaken in key areas (such as social work) and reasons given for leaving often included better flexible arrangements or a more convenient location.  However, it was not always possible to follow up with applicants who chose not to take up offers of employment.

·       The CMR noted that recruitment was currently a problem for local authorities and businesses worldwide.  Low unemployment meant that workers could choose who they worked for and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 351.

The Panel considered the latest draft of the Corporate Procurement Strategy.

The Head of Commercial provided Members with a demonstration of the Power BI procurement dashboard which gave information on how much the Council spent with third parties and where this money was spent.  It also showed the main providers and suppliers and the trend of spend.

The Strategic Director of Commercial and Change noted that the procurement dashboard would be shared with the Panel in due course.  It provided real time information and would also be available to local suppliers.  The importance of maintaining compliance in a changing world was noted.  The country had now left the EU and the Council needed to be in a good place to take advantage of new opportunities.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and the following main points were raised:

·       It was noted that the environment for corporate procurement changed frequently with the latest challenges being inflationary and supply chain pressures.  In response to a question about what was being done by the Council to mitigate these pressures, the Strategic Director noted that, in general, the Council did not buy things with direct inflationary pressures.  Instead, the Council would be buying a care home place or letting a contract for an infrastructure project.  It was important that the procurement strategy reflected this.  However, it was also noted that contracts with no allowance for inflationary uplift may create pressure on suppliers.  In this situation, contract management was key.

·       60% of the Council’s spend was on social care and it was important to recognise the issues caused by pay inflation and staff shortages.

·       The advantages and disadvantages of buying-in a service against providing it in-house were discussed.  It was confirmed that the majority of the Council’s legal work was undertaken by in-house lawyers.

·       It was suggested that by spending more of the Council’s budget with local firms, this money would be kept in the local economy.  Members were reminded that, above a certain threshold, the Council should not show favouritism to local companies, although adding the requirement for a company to demonstrate social value would make it more logical for a local firm to be chosen.

·       A question was asked about whether it was possible to monitor the environmental record of companies being employed.  The Panel was informed that it was the intention to introduce carbon footprint management for suppliers, with the Council offering support and advice on carbon footprint mapping.  The Commercial Team was working with the Sustainability Team and it was hoped that this would start this year.

·       A Member suggested that there was a need for a commercial approach to be embedded across the culture of the organisation with staff being encouraged to become more commercially minded.  In response, the Strategic Director suggested that a commercial focus may not be appropriate for the majority of the council’s staff who were working in social care.  There was a fine balance and, although staff could be asked to consider the commercial  ...  view the full minutes text for item 352.

The Panel considered its work programme and agreed to add the following:

·                 Worcestershire One Public Estate

·                 Electric Vehicle charging points on the County Council Estate

It was also agreed that:

·       The Chairman of the Adult Care and Well-Being O&S Panel would be asked to consider adding The effectiveness of hand held technology used in adult social care to the Panel’s Work Programme;

·       The Chairman would discuss procurement in relation to the Ringway contract with the Chairman of the Economy and Environment O&S Panel.

·       The results of the staff survey and their impact on the Workforce Strategy would to be circulated to the Panel when available.