Agenda item

Name

Question/Comment

Ryan Dean

Why are such big changes happening to the adventure playgrounds?  Resulted in 8 experienced managers being made redundant when DBC has reduced the redundancy pay, when they promised.

Response to question by Councillor Williams;

Unfortunately, this is not the question submitted so my answer will be brief.

The decision to restructure Adventure Playgrounds was taken as part of 18/19 budget, with considerable pressure to make savings.

Saving structure put forward of £125k a year, almost all of the costs are staffing based, inevitably this will lead to some redundancies.  This does not link to the decision to reduce redundancy pay, as those 2 decisions were made 2 years apart.

Richard Gates

(read out by the Mayor)

Due to the reduction in redundancy pay from 2.2 times weekly wage for each completed year down to 1.5. This is potentially affective employee’s redundancy pay in recent proposed redundancies by as much as £7,000. Would the councillors of Dacorum council be happy if I took £7,000 off of them at a time you need such money to survive on until you manage to get another job?

Response to question by Councillor Williams;

The redundancy payments to Adventure Playground staff will be commensurate to the policy at this time, cannot make a direct comparison to what might have been made under the old policy and what is within the policy now.

Lucy Street

(read out by the Mayor)

Why is there such a discrepancy between the Dacorum Partnership - towards 2021- the Dacorum Sustainable Community Strategy and the plans to reduce current community facilities such as the Adventure playgrounds & how does DBC think it can commit to its own safeguarding policies if these cuts become effective.

Response to question by Councillor Williams;

I do not understand the link to the Dacorum Community Strategy, I revisited the document today which was written in 2008 and refreshed in 2012 and still couldn’t see the link.  I could understand that closing the playgrounds might be contrary to the aims of the playgrounds, but as we are keeping all sites and changing opening hours, not contrary to the strategy.

Safeguarding continues to be, as you would expect it to, a high priority to the Council, we provide hours of training around various H&S and safeguarding areas and have appointed a safeguarding lead officer to ensure our services are safe, secure & continue to be compliant.

Nalin Cooke

Regional Officer

UNISON

Nalin thanked Council you for the opportunity to ask the question, it is important we concentrate hard on this, answer I am giving might have indications going forward that we do not want to be in that position.

‘UNISON and UNITE members working for the Council have been forced to take strike action because of the unfair reduction to their redundancy entitlements. So far 2 Days of strike action have already been taken.  In order to avoid an escalation of strike action, do the councillors agree that the Joint Secretaries of the East of England Local Government Association should be invited to mediate the dispute?’ 

Or even ACAS.  We don’t think this issue should be allowed to escalate

Response to question by Councillor Williams;

I understand the question, I take objection to the word force, I would say choice.

My understanding is that as far as the Union are concerned, in discussion over the change in T&Cs, 2.2 weeks was not negotiable.  If that is the case, the very nature of going to mediation doesn’t seem to be appropriate.  I am aware reps of Unite and Unison have written to the Chief Executive who has written a holding response.  If there is indication from Unison or Unite that there is some room for movement on the 2.2 weeks, then mediation could be considered.

Supplementary question from Nalin;

I welcome what you have said, I use language loosely, I say force as we feel there is no other way to settle the matter.  When we went into dispute we expected the Employer to meet us across the table and come to a compromise, there is always a deal to be made.  If you are willing to go into discussions, then we are ready to talk.

Cllr Williams responded that he would refer back to Chief Executive to talk to Unions & Unite to see if there is any merit in moving to mediation discussions.  My view is that the 1.5 weeks is very much in the correct margin for payments, at 2.2 we have been out of kilter with the norm.  But if the indication now is that 2.2 is not a fixed starting point I will discuss with the Chief Executive and go back to Unison in due course.

Cllr Tindall commented that given conflicting emails received in last 2 or 3 days from unions and Chief Executive, I believe there is perhaps some room for manoeuvre.  Hope all parties will enter into discussion with no pre conceived mind-set, so that members of the Council do not suffer further disruption.

Cllr Williams referred to his previous reply and confirmed that would be the case.

Cllr England asked, does DBC have a resilient strategy to cope with the recent loss of key and functional leadership staff; it seems at least in one case, the Group Manager of Resident Services, there has been the loss of that entire management role.

Cllr Williams responded that absolutely there are strategies in place.  The situation with the specific role referred to was part of detailed discussions about restructure in that particular service between Chief Executive and myself.  With regard other senior staff vacancies, the intention is to recruit directly to fill those posts.