Agenda and draft minutes

To appoint a Chair from the Staff Side for 2026/27.

It was proposed by Councillor Daar and seconded by Councillor Dumont that Jackie Bruce be appointed Chair of the Local Joint Panel for the 2026/27 civic year. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that Jackie Bruce be appointed Chair of the Local Joint Panel for the 2026/27 civic year.

To appoint a Vice-Chair from the Employer’s Side for 2026/27.

It was proposed by Hilary Marsh and seconded by Lynne Mansary that Councillor Daar be appointed Vice-Chair of the Local Joint Panel for the 2026/27 civic year. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that Councillor Daar be appointed Vice-Chair of the Local Joint Panel for the 2026/27 civic year.

To receive apologies for absence.

There were apologies for absence from Councillor Jones and Paul Thomas-Jones.

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 May 2025.

It was moved by Hilary Marsh and seconded by Councillor Daar, that the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 20 May 2025 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the Committee meeting held on 20 May 2025 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Chair welcomed all to the meeting and reminded participants to use their microphones when speaking so that they could be heard. She confirmed that a short training session would take place at the conclusion of the meeting.

To receive any Members’ Declarations of Interest.

There was a declaration of interest from Councillor Daar, who is the East Herts representative for the Armed Forces Covenant Board. 

The Shared Senior Human Resources Business Partner introduced the report, which set out proposed changes to the Redundancy Policy and the redundancy payment multiplier.

The Panel was advised that the proposals had been shared with the Trade Union, recognising that the Council’s current redundancy terms, particularly the payment multiplier, were less generous than those offered by neighbouring Hertfordshire authorities. It was noted that this disparity had become increasingly apparent as councils benchmarked their employment policies in preparation for potential future structural changes.

Following a benchmarking exercise across all Hertfordshire authorities, it was recommended that East Herts increased its redundancy multiplier from 2 to 2.2. The Panel was informed that any additional staffing costs arising from this change would be met from the Council’s personnel reserve. However, it was emphasised, that there were currently no planned redundancies at East Herts Council.

The Chair thanked officers for their work on the report, and this appreciation was echoed by the Panel.

Members highlighted the importance of acknowledging that Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) was anticipated, while also emphasising that there were no current plans for redundancies within the Council.

Members also requested that, in future, tracked changes be included in policy documents presented to the Panel. Officers agreed to implement this request.

It was moved by Councillor Dumont and seconded by Hilary Marsh that the recommendations, as detailed, be recommended to the Human Resources Committee for approval. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that it be recommended that the Human Resources Committee approve the change to the redundancy multiplier from 2 to 2.2 as outlined in the report.

The Human Resources Advisor introduced a report proposing updates to the Recruitment and Induction Policy and the General Leave Policy. These updates aim to strengthen the Council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and support progression towards achieving Silver Employment Recognition Status.

The Panel was advised that key amendments to the Recruitment and Induction Policy include:

·             The introduction of a guaranteed interview scheme for eligible applicants from the armed forces community

·             Updates to job titles following the Tier Review

·             Full integration of the Tribepad applicant tracking system

In relation to the General Leave Policy, the Panel noted that revisions include:

·             The incorporation of the new statutory Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave

·             An extension of paid leave eligibility to Cadet Force Adult Volunteers

The Chair thanked officers for their work in preparing the report, and the Panel echoed its appreciation for the comprehensive updates to both policies.

The Panel also acknowledged that East Herts had the third highest proportion of armed forces employees within the County, recognising the significance of this and the Council’s ongoing commitment to supporting the armed forces community.

It was moved by Councillor Daar and seconded by Lynne Mansaray that the recommendations, as detailed, be recommended to the Human Resources Committee for approval. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that (A) the Local Joint Panel to review and recommend that the Human Resources Committee approve the revised Recruitment and Induction Policy - (Appendix 1), and;

B) that the Local Joint Panel to review and recommend that the Human Resources Committee approve the revised General Leave Policy - (Appendix 2)

There are no reports from the Staff Side.

There were no reports from the Staff Side.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chairman of the meeting, is of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration and is not likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information.

There were no urgent items.

If Part II business is notified and the procedures set out in the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 have been complied with, the Chairman will move: - That under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion of item XX on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph XX of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information

There was no Part II business.