Invitees:

Councillor Huw David – Leader of the Council

Councillor Jane Gebbie - Deputy Leader of Council and Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help

Councillor Hywel Williams - Cabinet Member for Resources 

Mark Shephard - Chief Executive

Kelly Watson - Chief Officer Legal and Regulatory Services, HR & Corporate Policy

Debra Beeke - Group Manager – Human Resources and Organisational Development

Paul Miles - HR Service Centre Manager

John Hughes – Trade Union Representative - UNISON

Neil Birkin – Trade Union Representative - GMB

Stephen Maclaren – Trade Union Representative - Unite

The Group Manager – Human Resources and Organisational Development presented the report, the purpose of which was to provide Committee with information relating to the recruitment and retention of the council’s workforce.

The Chair thanked the Group Manager – Human Resources and Organisational Development and Members discussed the following:

·         What more could be done to raise awareness of the workforce challenges faced by the Council and management of expectations, due to a lack of resources to deliver the preferred quality and standards.

·         Development of a Strategic Workforce Plan and Delivery Plan.

·         The time elapsed between an application and commencement into a role.

·         Delays attributed to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and references which are essential to safeguarding, renewals and transferability of DBS.

·         Capacity in Human Resources (HR) and the importance of back-office functions in the smooth running of the Council, the operating model in HR and annual benchmarking.

·         The working relationship between Directorate Group Managers and HR to ensure efficient processes. 

·         Concern regarding the age profile of employees and whether retired employees were returning via agencies, the possibility of an employee referral programme and surveys regarding the recruitment process.

·         The Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Service Personnel, engagement with veterans and promotion of the Council as a good employer, its family friendly policy, good pension arrangements and career progression prospects. 

·         Challenges of recruitment to particular roles including Welsh speaking teachers and whether the Market Supplement Policy could assist with recruitment.

·         The importance of consistent use of exit interviews in the Authority and meaningful analysis of the information gleaned.

·         The funding arrangements and number of graduates recruited via the graduate schemes and plans to develop recruitment via apprenticeships. 

·         Working with schools, colleges and universities to attract people into social care and other careers in the Council, the prospect of attracting Ukrainian refugees to posts and hard to fill posts such as limited hour contracts in school catering.

·         Retention, internal and external recruitment, succession and development planning and career progression.

·         Advertisement of vacancies on the Council website, targeted recruitment and more inventive ways to advertise.

·         The application process and use of the Market Supplement Policy and discussion regarding an all Wales pay evaluation and review of job descriptions.

The Chairperson advised that there were no further questions for the Invitees, thanked Invitees for their attendance and, advised that if they were not required for the next Item, they may leave the meeting.

RESOLVED:                 Following detailed consideration and discussions with Officers and Cabinet Members, the Committee made the following Recommendations:

1.    In recognition of the value that veterans can bring to Council roles and the Council’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Veterans that meet the essential criteria for a role, that consideration be given to how best to target veterans to encourage them to apply for vacancies.

2.    That a review be undertaken to consider the time elapsed between applications to adverts for positions and the time for those new employees to start in their new posts.

and the Committee requested:

3.    A written response confirming:

a.    Whether any of the Council’s graduates are funded from the Cardiff City Region (CCR) Graduate Scheme; and

b.    If not, whether any funding would be forthcoming from the CCR Graduate Scheme to fund future graduate positions; and

c.    How many graduates that are funded through the CCR Graduate Scheme work in local authorities.

4.    A breakdown of time periods over which the 144 apprenticeships took place.

A breakdown of how many new employees completed their probationary period of employment and how many new employees left the authority within the first 12 months of their employment.