Agenda item

(a)       That the Workforce Information Report for Quarter 1 of 2016/17 be noted;

(b)       That the Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) be asked to explain the reasons for the number of long-term agency workers within that service; and

(c)       That a breakdown be provided of the number of agency workers engaged with the Council for over 12 months.

The Senior Manager, Human Resources and Organisational Development (HR & OD) presented the quarterly update report on workforce information which had been adapted to focus on performance and trends.  She explained that the report had been brought at the first available opportunity.

Amongst the findings of the report, there was a slight improvement in attendance which remained a key priority for the Council.  On the management of agency workers, the level of spend within Streetscene & Transportation had been due to a significant number of vacancies, however a positive impact was expected following the completion of the recruitment process.

Councillor Richard Jones questioned the reason for the vacancies in Streetscene when he was aware of two agency workers who had been with the service for up to four years without being given an opportunity to apply for permanent work.  The Senior Manager gave assurances that the same opportunities were available to both employees and agency workers, and gave an example where support had been provided to agency workers on their applications.  Councillor Jones spoke about the need to identify and provide early support to agency workers who were effective in their roles to encourage their recruitment.  The Senior Manager explained that whilst she had no direct involvement in recruitment to that service, she expected all long-term agency workers to be recruited and had previously followed up and sought explanations where this had not been the case.

Councillor Jones proposed that the Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) be asked to explain the reasons for the number of long-term agency workers given the level of vacancies within that service.  The Chairman also requested a breakdown of the number of agency workers engaged with the Council for over 12 months, to establish any underlying reasons.  The Senior Manager agreed to provide a breakdown of the total figure which was in the report.  The Committee supported these proposals.

The Chairman commented on the need for clear data in the dashboard report to avoid any misinterpretation, for example the annual target in relation to days lost per quarter.  The Senior Manager agreed to check if the headings could be changed.

Councillor Peter Curtis said that more improvement was needed on attendance and that the annual ‘target’ of 9.30 days lost per person should be reduced to 3-4 days as a more realistic target.

On the recruitment of agency workers, Councillor Billy Mullin pointed out that there could be a number of reasons why some individuals may prefer not to apply for permanent jobs.  Discussion followed on the advantages and disadvantages of both permanent and temporary employment.

Councillor Arnold Woolley raised concerns about the lack of progress on the use of agency workers.  On the dashboard report, he questioned the validity of the data when compared to that of the previous year and whether this was due to the redevelopment of the report format.  He went on to refer to comments by the Wales Audit Office on the quality of reports to Overview & Scrutiny committees.  He proposed that a set report format be adopted and adhered to, to allow for trend comparison.  However, the Senior Manager pointed out that a format had been adopted and was constantly evolving to include additional data.  As a way forward, she suggested that future reports could include comparative accurate data for the current and previous year to show direct comparison.

Councillor Aaron Shotton welcomed the feedback on the report format and referred to the reduction in agency worker spend across many of the Council’s service areas.  He said that explanation had been given on the figures for Streetscene, with actions being taken on vacancy control, and that an improvement was expected.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the Workforce Information Report for Quarter 1 of 2016/17 be noted;

(b)       That the Chief Officer (Streetscene & Transportation) be asked to explain the reasons for the number of long-term agency workers within that service; and

(c)       That a breakdown be provided of the number of agency workers engaged with the Council for over 12 months.