Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendations.

Councillor Hughes introduced the report and explained that the Streetscene and Transportation portfolio had been experiencing several issues over the last two years with staff recruitment, retention and long-term absences, which had impacted the resilience and capacity of the existing teams.

It was anticipated that the demands on the portfolio would continue to increase as legislation was updated or introduced and the pressure to deliver additional or new services multiplied.

The report provided Members with an overview of the ongoing staffing issues within the portfolio, which were impacting the resilience and capacity of the existing teams to respond to service demands and deliver service priorities effectively and flexibly.

The report presented proposals to address the resilience and capacity issues within the portfolio in two key areas: fleet services and waste strategy. The proposals did not require any structural changes and did not place any current employees at risk. Those areas of the portfolio had been identified as high risk, where increased capacity was required to ensure that the service remained resilient and ensured that statutory targets were met, legal duties were fulfilled, and future anticipated demand was met.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene and Transportation) explained that the Fleet Manager role was a statutory one and as the prescribed transport manager on the operator’s licence, it was required to ensure that the legal requirements for road haulage were met. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the challenges faced by the portfolio in terms of staff resilience and capacity be recognised and the associated risks highlighted be noted; and

(b)       That the proposals detailed with the report be supported, which would require additional budget to be allocated for the creation of the following additional posts: