Agenda and minutes

Members are requested to declare the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interest and/or other interest in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Committee is asked to confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 November 2022 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

To receive minutes from Working Groups.

·        Agile Working 3 November 2022

·        Missed Bins  16 December 2022

Members noted the minutes from the Agile Working and Missed Bins Working Groups. An update was provided on the Cost of Living Working group to the Committee. A further meeting was being arranged for the Cost of Living topic.  

Members were informed that there was no update from Cabinet.

To consider any matter referred to the Committee for a decision in relation to the call in of a decision.

Members were informed that no call-ins had been received.

There will be a briefing on the budgetary planning and business plans from the Head of Finance in preparation for the Overview and Scrutiny meetings 30 and 31 January 2023.

The committee welcomed a presentation on the budgetary planning and business plans from the Head of Finance in preparation for the Overview and Scrutiny meetings 30 and 31 January 2023.

To receive the report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group’s report into Agile Working which is contained within the agenda.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is asked to CONSIDER the recommendations contained within the report and RECOMMEND to Cabinet accordingly.

The committee received the report on Agile Working. The Chair of the Working Group gave a summary at the meeting of the report. The purpose of the report was to achieve the outcomes identified in the scoping report and sought that residents were getting the best service possible with a positive impact on services, service delivery expectation had not been reduced since agile working and there was a better understanding of how agile working operates, and how this was communicated to residents and Councillors. The committee felt that there was still work to be done on the report and residents input would have been useful. Members would like reassurance that agile working for staff and for residents and businesses. It had become clear that agile working was here to stay with other businesses adopting differ styles of agile working with trends for a four-day week pattern. There was a need for clear guidelines with discipline without supervision, mentoring, learning, strengthening, cohesion and how effective leadership and support is offered to employees. This all should be looked at more closely.  There was concern that there still were communication problems with residents trying to make contact with services especially if there were areas with staffing issues or illness. It was felt work in some areas was not being achieved and agile working was the issue. Councillors felt frustrated they had to call in constantly to get updates on issues when the query had not been answered. Further queries raised included having an unskilled workforce, where are the boundaries and what is the future and that some employees have not had the practical experience of working in an office. Was it suitable for the Council and employees to be working from home. Some Members felt that is was disappointing that hard working employees were being questioned and that every organisation was looking at agile working. Benefits included a happier workforce, supported a better work life balance and reduced the environmental impact on car emissions around the borough supporting the Council’s target to become carbon neutral by 2027.

Members felt there was a need to look at this topic again with the new administration. The views of the residents had not been included and the committee wished for a re-focus on scrutiny with residents and how it impacts on them.

Options were provided to the Committee on how to progress the report. It was suggested the report be put back onto the work programme as a topic to be considered by the Committee at a future meeting.

RESOLVED to return the issue of agile working back to the work programme for a future review, taking account of all the views of Councillors of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

To inform the Committee of items on the Cabinet’s work programme, from which items for scrutiny may be identified.

The Committee noted the Cabinet work programme. Queries were raised with regards to the Leisure Centre update and the impact on energy and inflation on Leisure Centres, and the Housing Situation in Broxtowe report including how many voids were there in the borough.

The Committee is asked to approve its Work Programme, including identifying topics for scrutiny, that will help to achieve the Council’s key priorities and associated objectives.

The Committee resolved that the work programme with the minor amendments and the topic of Agile Working being added back to the work programme be approved.

RESOLVED that the work programme be approved