Agenda

Agenda

Note: Whilst these agenda papers are not covered by the normal Access to Information Rules (see agenda front), where items are listed as containing exempt/confidential information, members of the Panel are requested to treat them as such.

Any member (which includes councillors and staff representatives) who is substituting for another member should so indicate, together with the name of the relevant absent member.

The approved Terms of Reference for the Staff Consultative Panel requires that the Chair of the Panel shall be rotated between the Employer’s and Employees’ Side.  When the Chair is a Member of one side of the Panel, the Vice Chair shall be a Member of the other side.

For 2024 to 2025 the Chair is required to be elected from the Employer’s Side.

Therefore, the Panel is requested to ELECT a Chair in accordance with this arrangement.

The approved Terms of Reference for the Staff Consultative Panel requires that the Vice Chair shall alternate between the Employer’s Side and the Employees’ Side.

As the Chair of the Panel shall be drawn from the Employer’s Side for 2024 to 2025, the Vice Chair is required to be elected from the Employee’s Side.

The Panel is requested to ELECT a Vice Chair in accordance with this arrangement.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 12 February 2024.

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary or local non pecuniary interest which they have in any item of business on the agenda, no later than when that item is reached and, when appropriate, to leave the meeting prior to discussion and voting on the item.

This data is a snap-shot in time and is collated every quarter, looking at the previous twelve months.

Following on from the request which was made at the last meeting of the Panel, further data will be provided on long term sickness absence.

The aim of this guidance is to outline West Suffolk Council’s commitment to promoting equality and fairness throughout its workforce, recognising and celebrating the diversity that exists among our local communities. This guidance applies to both employees and potential employees, who are neurodivergent, or who believe that they may be neurodivergent and provides guidance to our managers. It is also sets out the Council’s commitment, responsibilities of managers and responsibilities of employees.

Proposed guidance with regards to neonatal care (leave and pay) for incorporation into the Council’s wider Maternity, Adoption and Paternity Policy.

This update will be provided to the Panel under their responsibility for acting as a focus for employee participation in the promotion of health and safety at work, the prevention of accidents and incidents and the avoidance of work related ill health.

As part of this responsibility, the Panel have also been provided with the Health and Safety Annual Report for 2023 to 2024.  This annual report has been produced to identify and document key aspects of West Suffolk Council’s health and safety performance over the last year (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024). This Annual Report was also presented to the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee on 30 May 2024.

The Panel will receive a presentation on the West Suffolk Internship Programme for 2024.

Each intern will work in their designated area of interest as part of that team, but they will also work closely together on a project on behalf of the organisation.  The internship programme is designed to encourage young people to take up careers in the public sector and to provide paid opportunities for students to experience working for the Council during their summer break from university.

The following dates for future meetings of the Panel are listed below. All dates are Mondays starting at 3pm and will be held via Microsoft Teams:

·         Monday 11 November 2024

·         Monday 10 February 2025