The Staffing Policy Committee of Wiltshire Council met on Tuesday 22 September 2026 to discuss a proposed Personal Safety and Wellbeing Framework, an update on upcoming changes to employment law, and revisions to the council's exit questionnaire process. The committee was also scheduled to consider extending access to the Wiltshire Rewards benefits platform to elected members.

Personal Safety & Wellbeing Framework

The committee was scheduled to receive a report on the proposed Personal Safety and Wellbeing Framework. This framework is intended to embed the principles of the council's No Excuse for Abuse campaign into permanent cultural behaviours, providing a consistent, council-wide approach to prevent abuse and offer clear reporting, response, and learning mechanisms. The report highlighted that the framework aims to strengthen prevention and risk management, improve incident reporting, ensure managers respond consistently, and enhance wellbeing support for affected employees. It also aims to ensure compliance with strengthened legal duties under the Employment Rights Act 2025, which will introduce new requirements for employers regarding workplace harassment and third-party abuse from October 2026.

The report outlined proposed updates to the Dignity at Work policy and the Unwanted Behaviour from Members of the Public policy to align with the new framework and upcoming legislation. These updates aim to reflect strengthened legal duties, emphasise respectful workplace behaviour, and clarify manager responsibilities. The framework itself categorises roles based on risk levels, from Category One (high risk) to Category Three (low risk), with corresponding measures for services, staff training, manager training, technology, reporting, and culture.

October 2026 Employment Rights Act Measures Update

An overview of the Employment Rights Act 2025 measures scheduled to come into force in October 2026 was presented, along with an outline of the actions being taken by the council to prepare. Key measures include:

• Protection from sexual harassment and third-party harassment: The duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment will be strengthened to all reasonable steps, and employers will become liable for harassment by third parties. The council's Personal Safety and Wellbeing Framework and associated policy updates are intended to address these changes.
• Duty to inform workers of their right to join a trade union: Employers will be required to inform workers in writing of their right to join a trade union at the commencement of employment.
• Time off for TU equality representatives: A new statutory right for trade union equality representatives to receive reasonable paid time off for their duties and training will be introduced.
• Facilities, accommodation and trade union access rights: The Act will strengthen rights of access for trade unions and require employers to provide reasonable accommodation and facilities for union representatives.
• Protection against detriment during industrial action: Workers participating in lawful industrial action will gain protection from detriment.
• Public sector outsourcing measures: New measures are intended to avoid a two-tier workforce in public sector outsourcing.
• New negotiating bodies: An Adult Social Care Negotiating Body and a School Support Staff Negotiating Body will be established to negotiate pay and conditions.

The report noted that the council is reviewing its HR policies and employment contracts to ensure compliance with these legislative changes.

Exit Questionnaire Update

The committee received an update on the launch of a revised exit questionnaire process, designed to gather richer and more meaningful feedback from employees leaving Wiltshire Council employment or moving to new roles within the organisation. The revised questionnaire, launched on 20 July 2026, is now integrated into Oracle as part of the leaver and internal mover journeys, reducing administrative burden and improving data capture.

New questions have been added regarding pay and benefits to support future role and salary benchmarking. While it is early to identify definitive trends, initial responses suggest that career progression and alternative employment opportunities remain primary reasons for departure. Emerging themes to monitor include career development, workload pressures, team capacity, and work-life balance. For internal movers, career progression is also the main driver, with emerging trends of work-related stress and workload pressures noted in frontline service areas. A dashboard is being developed by the Council's Data & Insight team to enable live analysis of the data.

Access to Wiltshire Rewards for Elected Members

The committee was asked to review the extension of access to the Wiltshire Rewards benefits platform to elected members (councillors). Previously, councillors were not permitted access due to their status as office holders. However, recent developments, including the extension of wellbeing support through the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and the option for councillors to opt into the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), presented an opportunity to reconsider access to the Wiltshire Rewards platform.

Benchmarking with other local authorities indicated a varied approach to councillor benefits. The report recommended providing councillors with access to the same platform as employees, which offers retail discounts, wellbeing resources, and financial support tools. There is existing capacity within the current licences for the platform, meaning no additional costs would be incurred, and administrative management would be handled by the existing HR Strategy team.

Update from Senior Officer Employment Sub-Committee

The committee was scheduled to note the minutes of the previous meeting of the Senior Officer Employment Sub-Committee held on 5 May 2026. The minutes indicate that this sub-committee met to discuss and approve the termination of employment for several senior officers on the grounds of redundancy, following changes to the senior management structure. These included the Corporate Director, Resources; Director of HR & OD; Director of ICT; and Director of Transformation and Business Change.

Appointments to Sub-Committees

The committee was also scheduled to appoint Members to the following sub-committees:

• Senior Officer Employment Sub-Committee
• Staffing Appeals Sub-Committee
• Grievance Appeals Sub-Committee