Personnel Committee Terms of Reference June 2024
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
TERMS OF REFERENCE, REMIT AND DELEGATION OF POWERS
Status
The Personnel Committee shall be a Substantive Committee of Theddlethorpe Parish Council appointed at the Annual Council Meeting. As such it is autonomous and most of its decisions and recommendations do not require ratification by Council unless a matter specifically referred or dictated by legislation. It is subject to the same general rules of conduct in relation to meetings as set out in the Council's Standing Orders.
Membership
In accordance with Standing Order 4d(viii) the Personnel Committee shall consist of 5 elected Members of Theddlethorpe Parish Council and its quorum shall be 3.
The Chair to full council shall not be a voting member of the committee when in attendance.
Co-option / Deputation
The Committee shall have no powers of co-option or Deputation.
GENERAL
i. To review all personnel procedures, be the first contact for all employee/employer matters, advise full council accordingly on such matters, and act on its instructions when called upon.
ii. To undertake specific tasks as delegated by full council under Standing Orders.
iii. To establish and keep under review the staffing structure in consultation with full Council.
iv. The personnel committee is appointed by full Council to deal with all staffing matters, subject to budget, expenditure and contractual limits decided by full Council, and to report back to full Council as required.
v. The personnel Committee shall appoint its Chairman annually as the first item of business at its first meeting following the Annual Meeting of the Council in May.
vi. The personnel committee shall have no set calendar and shall be convened by the calling of a meeting by the clerk as directed, or by the Chairman or two members of the committee by written request to the Chairman at any time.
vii. The personnel committee will be the focal point of all staffing issues.
viii. In accordance with the Nolan Principles and best practice, no elected Member(s) will be considered for membership of the Personnel Committee where there have been any issues, difficulties, incidents or grievances (either formal or informal), in order to protect the Council, individual elected Members and staff members from claim or retribution (perceived or actual) for the four year administration period unless this would lead to operational issues (i.e., an inadequate number of elected Members to conduct necessary functions of the Committee).
Once properly convened and the appropriate resolution passed, all business of the committee shall be conducted in closed session and shall remain confidential, other than to other members of the Council on a strictly need to know basis, who will also respect the confidential nature of such information, and the representative of employees where appropriate.
Notes of meetings will be taken by an appointed person and such notes shall be presented to full council in closed session, at the earliest opportunity, and formally approved at the next meeting of the Committee. It is essential that any recommendations are fully understood and agreed by all parties before the meeting closes.
Specific Roles: -
To attend specific personnel training (via LALC or another Parish Council approved training facilitator) or have equivalent experience.
1. To review, and update annually, when necessary, documents relating to all employees, in conjunction with the Clerk, and recommend any changes to full Council.
2. To provide a supporting role to all employees including initial liaison on all matters of difference and concern relating to employees.
3. To ensure the necessary policies and procedures are addressed in accordance with relevant legal requirements, and the outcome of any discussions on employment matters are fully reported to full council to consider appropriate action.
4. To ensure annual appraisals of staff are undertaken (by the Chairman of the Committee) and that recommendations are reported to full Council.
5. To establish and review performance management (including annual appraisals) and staff training programmes.
6. To establish (at the commencement of employment) and review salary pay scales for all staff in accordance with NJC pay scales, and to be responsible for their administration and review.
7. To oversee the recruitment and appointment of staff, subject to ratification of appointments by full Council. To have input on the recruitment and selection process for members of staff (subject to restrictions imposed by clause 1); all appointments must be formalised by full Council resolution.
8. To act as a group in respect of line-manager for the most senior member of staff – the Clerk
9. To ensure that the clerk has everything required for line-managing other staff on a day-to-day basis.
10. To keep up to date with developments in employment law as they arise.
11. To be aware of sources of expert advice on employment matters and to ensure that the council uses such sources when there is any doubt about good employment practice.
12. To report back to council as required, bearing in mind the requirements of Data Protection and GDPR in relation to management of the personal details of all staff members.
13. To arrange for the execution of new employment contracts, and changes to contracts in conjunction with the law.
14. To oversee any process leading to dismissal of staff (including redundancy) (subject to restrictions imposed by clause 1); all dismissals must be formalised by full Council resolution.
15. To keep under review staff working conditions, and health and safety matters.
16. To consider any appeal against a decision in respect of pay.
17. To ensure any grievance or disciplinary matter (and any subsequent appeals) are made by an appropriate subgroup of this committee to ensure fairness and impartiality. These subgroups will be formed on an as needed basis.
18. To ensure a system is in place to deal with day-to-day liaison matters with the clerk, and to be the point of call for sickness reporting and approval of such matters as annual holidays, mileage and travel allowances.
19. To make recommendations on staffing related expenditure to full Council.
20. To manage any overtime budget and agree any additional hours to be worked within the financial constraints of that budget.
21. To undertake any additional personnel related tasks as directed by full Council from time to time.
Areas of Working Conditions to be addressed (as delegated by full Council):
• Compliance with Employment Legislation
• Recruitment and Selection Procedures
• Contracts of Employment
• Pay and Overtime
• Supervision of PAYE / National Insurance
• Health and Safety matters
• Risk Assessment
• Duty of care
• Avoiding Staff Stress
• Managing Workloads
• Breaches of Code of conduct behaviour by Councillors and members of the Public
(i.e. harassment and bullying)
• Absence Management
• Annual Appraisals and Development
• Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures
• Rights of Staff: Annual Leave and Unplanned Time Off / Absence
• Rights Relating to Illness / Disability
• Data Protection Issues
• Freedom of Information Issues