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Staffing Committee

Terms of Reference

Objective:

To provide effective and professional staff management of all matters related to the employees of the council.

Membership:

  • To be elected annually at the Annual Meeting of the Town Council each year.
  • The Staffing Committee to consist of 6 members of the Council – Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council, plus four Town Councillors (both genders should be represented).
  • The Chairman and Vice-Chairman are to be elected annually by the Staffing Committee at the first meeting after the Annual meeting of the Town Council and shall hold office until the next Annual Council meeting, as per Standing Orders.
  • The Town Mayor and Deputy Town Mayor are ex-officio members of every Committee of the Council with full voting rights.

Interests:

If a Member has a personal interest as defined by the Code of Conduct adopted by the Town Council then he/she shall declare such interest as soon as it becomes apparent, disclosing the nature and extent of the interest as required.

N.B. If a Member who has declared an interest then considers the interest to be prejudicial, he/she must withdraw from the room during consideration of the agenda item to which the interest relates.

Meetings:

  • The Clerk will call Staffing Committee meetings as and when necessary and summon members to attend, in accordance with Standing Orders.
  • Public Notices of the meeting shall be given in accordance with the Council’s Standing.

Quorum:

A minimum number of three Committee members are required for decision-making purposes.

Documentation:

Minutes of all meetings will be recorded by the Clerk and circulated at full council meetings of Silloth-on-Solway Town Council. All resolutions and recommendations to full council shall be recorded in the minutes of the meetings.

Accountability:

The Staffing Committee has delegated powers to act on behalf of the full council in relation to the defined terms of reference only; any recommendations outside the Staffing Committee’s terms of reference shall be made to the full council.

Scope:

The Staffing Committee will have the following duties and shall be empowered, within the current structure, to:

  • Recruit and select replacement staff, with the exception of the post of Town Clerk/RFO;
  • Recruit and short list applicants for the post of Town Clerk/RFO. The successful short-listed applicants to be interviewed by a Staffing Interview Panel. A recommendation from the Staffing Committee will be submitted to Full Council to ratify the appointment of Parish Manager/RFO;
  • Consider and implement any changes which are required to comply with Employment Law, Health & Safety Law and Terms and Conditions of Service as laid by the National Joint Council (NJC) and recommended by National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC);
  • Deal with any staff disciplinary matter in accordance with the Council’s Disciplinary Procedure;
  • Deal with any staff grievance in accordance with the Council’s Grievance Policy;
  • The Staffing Committee to be responsible for the preparation and submission of budget proposals in respect of salaries and training for all staff to the Full Council;
  • The Staffing Committee to have delegated power to review employees pay awards and increments, including staff pension arrangements, for recommendation to the Full Council for approval;
  • Reviewing staff pension arrangements;
  • Review job descriptions, person specifications and contracts of employment, for recommendation to Full Council for approval;
  • Review staffing policies and procedures;
  • Working to determine the staffing levels necessary to efficiently discharge the work required by the council, reviewing the workloads periodically with the Town Clerk & Park Manager and making any necessary recommendations in respect thereof to the full council;
  • Manage long term sickness and incidents at work in line with the council’s current Sickness Absence Policy;
  • The Staffing Committee to take responsibility that confidentiality is maintained over all staffing matters under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Code of Conduct;
  • Ensuring that the Town Clerk has everything required for managing other staff and offering support when required;
  • Be aware of sources of expert advice on employment matters and ensure that the Council uses such sources when there is any doubt about good employment practice;
  • Undertake training identified from time to time to support their role as the Council’s Staffing Committee;
  • Manage any issues referred to the Committee by the Full Council.

The Town Clerk, as the Council’s Senior Officer has delegated powers to:

  • Manage attendance, short term sickness absence, return to work interviews, annual leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, carer’s leave, compassionate leave, flexible leave requirements, and staff inductions in line with current agreed council
  • Undertake staffing interviews accompanied by a Staffing Committee member for any issues where it is deemed necessary.

Review arrangements:

The committee will be a standing committee of the council. The appointment of the committee will be considered at the Annual Council Meeting who may decide to alter or dissolve the committee as required.