Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held 26 September 2016 were agreed.

It was agreed that all items of business would be considered in public.

At the meeting of Committee held on 26 September 2016, approval was given to this Committee’s next review topic on the Human Resources Recruitment Process.

The Council's Workforce & Organisational Development Manager attended the meeting and Mr Robert Peasnell, Managing director of TMP Worldwide, was in attendance at the meeting to speak at the Committee’s first witness session. TMP Worldwide is a resourcing business that helps organisations recruit and retain staff across various industries, including the public sector.

Mr Peasnell addressed the Committee, confirming that, despite a brief impact on the market, Brexit had not made a huge change to the market, where there were still more job seekers than vacancies.

Mr Peasnell confirmed it was important for Hillingdon Council to be involved in the market to secure workers who wished to move on in the future. To do this, the Council must find ways to consistently make itself desirable to potential employees.

Advertising

Members heard that the more progressive employers in the market are now defining their offer to staff, differentiating themselves from other employers and improving their brand and reputation.

Articulating this brand was vital, and recently there has been a shift from paid advertising to social media and other online sites such as Youtube and LinkedIn. These avenues give the Council an opportunity to improve visibility, and progressive employers are using videos and short films to show what a working day in their business is like.

Members agreed the need to improve the brand of Hillingdon Council, but understood this was a more difficult task for public sector employers. At times there is little to differentiate between Councils outside of location and pay. The Council’s Workforce and Organisational Development Manager confirmed that in the past, Hillingdon had used learning or development as a means to be different, and cited the Child/Social Care Work Progression Scheme as an example, where staff could work through a development scheme at their own pace to achieve a qualification. Developing Hillingdon’s unique selling point is vital to recruitment, and Heathrow Airport could be a useful asset in this regard.

Reaching Appropriate Candidates

The Committee were told of the importance to building a talent pool of prospective candidates who showed interest in roles, thus reducing the need for paid advertising. One possible way of widening this talent pool is by reaching out to former employees or those who worked with the Council or lived in the Borough. By doing this, the day-to-day reality of being an employee of Hillingdon Council is shared more accurately, and those applying for jobs will be keener to do the role, and potentially perform higher, as they have a better understanding of what the role entails.

Websites, such as ‘Glassdoor’, also allow the Council to tap into another network. These sites allow workers to rate their employer, and have become very prevalent in the private sector; Deloitte has stopped exit interviews altogether and now asked former staff to rate them online instead. The Council could claim  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The report on the Town Centres Scheme from the previous meeting was intended to provide the Committee with oversight of the extensive programme of work on which the Council is engaged to enhance Hillingdon’s town centres in the period leading up to 2018.

The Community Engagement and Town Centres Team Leader attended the meeting to present the report to Committee and answer any queries, as well as answering those questions raised at the previous Committee meeting.

Members commented that the scheme had led to investment, higher occupancy rates and big brands moving into local Wards, but one of the Members observed that in the case of Northwood Hills Town Centre improvements, there had been an exasperation of congestion at the Northwood Hills Circus Roundabout. Officers confirmed that this was a consequence of the Town Centre scheme, being affected by the opening of the Heathrow Aviation Engineering University Technical College in September 2014. This new education facility for 14-19 year olds has a catchment area of a 12 mile radius of Northwood Hills, leading to peak time traffic implications which are currently under review as a traffic planning matter as part of the school's planning consent.

The Committee asked if in the future, these issues could be better understood and appreciated by all stakeholders. It was confirmed that S106 traffic surveys and school travel plans are being looked at to ascertain and mitigate impact on Northwood Hills Town Centre.

The Committee asked whether the surveys on the Town Centres Scheme were shared with Councillors, and it was determined that they were sent to all Ward Councillors. The Chairman asked that future evaluations could be shared with him for information.

Councillors heard that money has been spent on tree pits to give the area a more permeable surface. Previously trees were planted in subterranean "boxes" formed of concrete, but the tree pits keep trees healthier, as well as helping drainage. Public transport and cycle lanes have been improved from the Uxbridge Road to Hayes and Harlington Station, and more rubbish bins have been positioned in towns, to help with environmental improvements.

Members were informed that the take-up of shop grants increases over time. At first the take-up can be slow in some areas, but once one shop applies for a grant, others often follow suit. The Council asks for feedback on the grants scheme which has helped the scheme be administered and payments can now be staged, and instead of being paid retrospectively, quotes are now sourced and managed before businesses are invoiced.

-        RESOLVED: That the report be noted and future evaluations be shared with the Chairman by the Community Engagement and Town Centres Team Leader.

The Head of Category Management attended the meeting to provide a verbal update on Procurement Activity and the Forward Plan on contracts, providing Members with a report at the meeting.

The Committee heard that there have been a number of changes to the Procurement Team over recent months, with the new intention of the team to analyse the market and look at competing ideas to come up with strategic views for future projects. There are more accurate records now being kept, with a database confirming the start and end dates of contracts, and staff members have more training, including the opportunity to study for a professional qualification.

Members were informed that the Council have a flexible approach to tenders, taking money into account but also focussing on quality where necessary. Cost may be important in purchasing stationary, but social care tenders focus on quality; where the Council have a duty of care on essential services, quality is always the overriding factor.

Councillors asked that a quarterly report on Procurement Activity and the Forward Plan on Contracts be brought before the Committee in the future as an update item.

-        RESOLVED: That the report be noted and a quarterly report on Procurement Activity and the Forward Plan on Contracts be brought before the Committee.

-        RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan was noted.

Members discussed the possibility of moving the meeting currently scheduled on 7 February 2017 to 2 February 2017.

The Committee asked for an update on progress made in relation to the Heathrow Business Rates review at the February meeting.

Councillors requested that they be contacted with regards to future update items that are scheduled for future meetings.

Members agreed to add an update item on Procurement Activity and the Forward Plan on Contracts to the work programme on a quarterly basis.