Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Members.

There were no apologies

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs), pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests they may have in relation to any item(s) of business on today’s agenda.

Members confirmed that their entries on the Council’s register of interests were up to date and that they had no further disclosures to make. 

Councillors Lynne Hale, Callton Young and Chief People’s Officer Dean Shoesmith informed the Committee that they were present as a witness to the Hazel Simmonds case at the Employment Tribunal on behalf of the council.

Officers Dean Shoesmith and Jane West informed the Committee that they would withdraw themselves from part 2 in the item relating to staffing matters.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There were none.

This report seeks the Committee’s approval to agree the salary package and undertake the selection and appointment to the post of Director of Customer Experience & Technology

The Appointment and Disciplinary Committee considered the Appointment to the post of Director of Customer Experience & Technology.

The Chief People’s Officer, Dean Shoesmith shared with the Committee that the key appointment for the council sees the post focused on transforming the council through the use of digital solution technology and seeking to drive better services for residents through improved customary experience. The job evaluation was set through the Hay job evaluation scheme as a grade 3 post from £122,803 to £127,684 which was sufficient to be competitive within the London Market.

The Committee RESOLVED to:

1.1. Agree the salary package for the post of Director of Customer Experience & Technology, Grade 3 £122,803 to £127,684.

1.2. Undertake the selection for and agree an appointment to the post of Director of Customer Experience & Technology from the candidate(s) detailed in the Exempt/Part B appendices.

1.3. Note that any appointment will be subject to the appointment notification process set out in section 3.3 of part 4J of the Council’s Constitution (Staff Employment Procedure Rules).

This report formally notifies the Committee of the outcome of the Hazel Simmonds employment tribunal (ET) case which concluded on 22 December 2023.

The Appointment and Disciplinary Committee considered the Outcome of the Hazel Simmonds Employment Tribunal Case.

The Chief’s People Officer Dean Shoesmith shared with the Committee that this matter had concerned with the claimant, Ms Simmonds, making a complaint against the council and the council’s Chief Executive Officer for race and sex discrimination, which was dismissed by the Employment Tribunal against the council and the council’s Chief Executive Officer. A further claim from the claimant of an unfair dismissal was brought against the council, which was also dismissed by the Employment Tribunal.

With regards to seeking the costs from Ms Simmonds, the Committee was asked to consider the high bar set by the Tribunal on cost recovery, and applications for costs of recovery; further expenditure for the council; the amount it would cost to pursue applications would not be economic or in the public interests; and lastly within paragraph 3.30 to 3.32 of the report which sets out the position the council was in and the costs of the legal process.

Comments from the Committee welcomed the outcome of the Employment Tribunal case and thanked officers involved in the preparation of the case. It was further noted that this case had cost a lot

of money for the council to go through the process and thus was vital for the council to defend in the way they did.

It was further clarified by the Deputy Monitoring Officer, Looqman Desai, that the council was not in a position to make a further application for the costs, and this decision would be made at officer level. This was unanimously agreed by the Committee.

The Committee RESOLVED to note the outcome of the Hazel Simmonds employment tribunal case.

The Senior Staffing Matters paper is attached.

The Appointment and Disciplinary Committee heard that the Part B (exempt) version of this report referred to senior staffing matters, which related to individual terms and conditions of employment, therefore the entirety of this report was heard in Part B.

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting or a particular item:

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

The following motion was proposed by Councillor Hale, seconded by Councillor Cummings and agreed by the Committee to exclude the press and public for the remainder of the meeting.

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within paragraphs 1, 2 and 5 as indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended”.

Please note that a full confidential minute has also been produced for this item, although the resolutions agreed by the Committee are set out in the public minute above.

Please note that a full confidential minute has also been produced for this item, although the resolutions agreed by the Committee are set out in the public minute above.

There were no items of urgent business