Purpose

To review resourcing in regard to the
Executive Support function for both councils in respect of a
potential growth bid.

Content

Decision:

1.      
Approved
the creation of 1.5 full time equivalent new Personal Assistant
posts to support the recent growth of three new Joint Assistant
Directors, subject to budget approval by Council; 

2.      
Subject to
approval of the creation of two further new Joint Assistant
Directors, approved the creation of 1 full time equivalent further
Personal Assistant post to support those posts, subject to budget
approval by Council;

3.      
Subject to
consultation with affected staff and Unions, designate all existing
and new posts within the Executive Support Team as Joint Posts from
1 April 2025;

4.      
Approved
honorarium payments from 2021 (or the start of employment,
whichever is the later) to existing Officers in the Executive
Support Team in accordance with paragraph 11.3 of this report, at a
cost of £51,000 to Guildford Borough Council;

5.      
Recommended to Council
that the Executive Support function be a joint function with
Waverley Borough Council and that the Council agrees to delegate
the exercise of this function to Waverley Borough Council on behalf
of Guildford Borough Council;

6.      
Recommended to Council
that the Strategic Director of Legal and Democratic Services be
given delegated authority, in consultation with the Joint Chairs of
the Joint Governance Committee, to include the shared Executive
Support service in any Inter-Authority Agreement.
Reason(s):

1.    
To ensure
that the Leaders of both Councils, the Corporate Leadership Board
and the Joint Leadership Team are adequately supported by
sufficient resources within the Executive Support Team, to enable
them to operate in an efficient and cost-effective way.

2.    
To ensure
that Executive Support Team officers, who provide a service to both
Councils by supporting and working closely with Joint Officers, are
formally recognised as having Joint Posts.

3.    
To ensure
that such Joint Posts are dealt with in a consistent manner and in
accordance with existing HR policies for such posts and the inter
authority agreement between the two Councils for the sharing of
staff.

4.    
Recognising that when
officers in the Executive Support Team commenced their roles, they
were not treated in accordance with the current HR policy for Joint
Posts as it did not exist at the relevant time, and remedying this
lack of consistency, parity and fairness by way of payment of
honorariums will put such officers into the position they would
have been in had the policy been in place at the time.

5.    
To seek
Council’s formal approval of the creation of a joint service
and to agree the provision of the function to Guildford Borough
Council by Waverley Borough Council.
Other options considered and rejected by the
Committee:
·       
Option 1
– Do nothing.

·       
Option 2
– Establish two separate Executive Support Teams
Details of any conflict of interest declared by the Leader or
lead councillors and any dispensation granted:
None.