Agenda item

The Project Manager for Transformation introduced the Temporary Agency Staff Report, explaining that the cost of agency staff had increased post-Section 114 as the Council had had to bring in a range of staff, particularly in finance and ICT departments. It was felt that this spend had now peaked and there had been recent recruitment to finance and ICT departments. The Council would always need some agency staff, however, and recruitment of permanent staff continued to be challenging due to the current labour-market environment.

Officers pointed out that Appendix 1 provided with the report was outdated and an updated version would be provided at a future Committee.

Questions from Members included on efforts made to retain staff and make temporary staff permanent, and on delays in services caused by not having a full complement of staff. The Project Manager for Transformation explained that in terms of retaining staff there was a development programme for employees, to order to try to retain as many good quality employees as possible, and market supplements were in place where needed. In terms of making temporary staff permanent, this had been done where possible, eg in ICT department, although in some cases staff chose to remain on agency worker status. In terms of delays to services the Project Manager explained that this question was difficult to answer but could be taken away.

Councillors present under Rule 30 stated that it would be helpful to have a further breakdown and details, such as types of roles, on the spend figures given by directorate on p47 of the report, at a future Committee. Members also suggested offering graduate programmes and having Slough jobs for Slough residents. The Project Manager explained that the Council had traditionally followed the national graduate programme, but could not restrict any jobs to Slough residents under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 employees had to be appointed on merit. Nevertheless officers were looking at ways to better reach local residents about recruitment and appealed to Members that anything they could do within their own networks would be helpful. The Monitoring Officer added that a high percentage of Slough Council staff did live within the borough.

Resolved – That the Committee reviewed and noted the Temporary Agency Staff Report.