Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be viewed here.

Please note that if any changes are made to this minute at the point of approval, these will be outlined in the subsequent minute and this document will not be retrospectively altered.

The Convener welcomed the Chief Officer – People and Citizen Services back to her first meeting since returning from shared parental leave.  He advised the Committee that Lindsay MacInnes had now left the Council for a new post in Dundee and that he wished to put on record the Committee’s thanks for both her support to the Committee and hard work over her years with the Council.

There were no declarations of interest nor transparency statements made.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 22 April 2024 for approval.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee had before it the business planner as prepared by the Interim Chief Officer – Governance.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to agree to remove item 8 (Cluster Risk Register) for the reasons outlined in the planner;

(ii)       to note that item 8 (People Policy Data) was delayed to the September meeting to enable a full year of data to be presented; and

(iii)      to otherwise note the planner.

With reference to article 6 of the minute of its meeting of 26 June 2023 and article 4 of the minute of its meeting of 22 April 2024, the Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director of Corporate Services which provided (i) an update on the progress relating to developing the young workforce; and (ii) details in relation to measures of success of the apprenticeship programme.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the progress of the continuing work to develop the young workforce, to do this in line with Local Outcome Improvement Plan commitments, and to shape the workforce for the future.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that there would be analysis of the ABZ Campus – Employability Pathway Programme pilot and officers could provide an update to Members; and

(ii)       to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director of Corporate Services which provided an update on the progress in relation to the Family Friendly Project and also sought approval for the revised Special Leave policy.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the content of the report and the progress made to date within the Family Friendly Project;

(b)      approve changes to the Special Leave Policy to ensure compliance with the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 and the Paternity Leave (amendment) Regulations 2024;

(c)      approve the project next steps as outlined in section 5 of the report; and

(d)      instruct the Chief Officer – People and Citizen Services to report back to Staff Governance Committee in one year’s time with updated policies and documentation for approval.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note that officers would ensure that the website clearly reflected which staff the policy applied to, and would include a link to the teachers’ policy; and

(ii)       to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director of Corporate Services which provided a summary of statistical health and safety performance information for the three month reporting period from January to March 2024 to provide the Committee with the opportunity to monitor compliance with health and safety legislation.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the report and provide comment on the health, safety policy, performance, trends, and improvements.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to note the concerns raised by the EIS representatives during the meeting, and to note that the Corporate Health and Safety Lead would (a) meet with all Trade Union representatives to gather feedback in relation to the content of the report and (b) reflect this feedback and any changes to the reporting in future quarterly health and safety reports; and

(ii)       to otherwise note the report.

With reference to article 5 of the minute of the meeting of the Net Zero, Environment and Transport Committee of 27 March 2024, the Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director of City Regeneration and Environment which provided an update on sickness absence within Roads, Environment and Waste, and what the Council was doing to reduce absences within those areas.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the explanation and update provided within the report for assurance; and

(b)      instruct the Chief Officers - Operations and People and Citizen Services to incorporate any future updates into the Absence Annual Update (EAS Annual Progress Update, Occupational Health and Absence Annual Update).

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Executive Director of Corporate Services which provided an update on progress and activity from January 2023 to December 2023, towards the Employee Mental Health Action Plan, and presented the refreshed Mental Health Action Plan for 2024.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the continuing progress made on the Mental Health Action Plan and the proactive actions taken to address and support positive employee mental health during the last 12 months; and

(b)      approve the updated Mental Health Action Plan for 2024.

- COUNCILLOR NEIL COPLAND, Convener