The Human Resources Committee of Tower Hamlets Council met on Tuesday 13 October 2026 to discuss a range of HR-related matters. Key discussions included updates on corporate director roles, senior recruitment, employee relations casework, and savings from early and voluntary retirement schemes. The committee also reviewed the council's work plan and received updates on various policy developments.

Corporate Directors Update

Darren Mepham, Interim Corporate Director for Communities, presented an update on his directorate, highlighting the significant population growth in Tower Hamlets and the associated challenges and priorities. He noted that the Communities Directorate, established in 2023, is still developing a consistent culture. The directorate comprises Public Realm, Public Protection and Integrated Enforcement, and Culture & Leisure divisions.

Mr Mepham discussed the directorate's budget and priorities, acknowledging low engagement and Investors in People scores as a reflection of the largely remote workforce. He detailed workforce insights, noting a gender imbalance skewed towards men and a lack of comprehensive demographic data due to engagement issues. Sickness absence figures were presented, with musculo and skeletal problems and stress, depression, mental health and anxiety being the top reasons for absence. Employee relations figures showed 10 disciplinary cases, 17 grievances, and 13 employment tribunal cases. Learning and development efforts are primarily focused on mandatory training, with efforts underway to improve coverage. Recruitment efforts have filled 31 posts, including HGV drivers and recreation assistants, and specialist roles in environmental health and waste management. Service redesigns are also in progress across the directorate.

Councillor Maium Talukdar raised concerns about sickness absence, mandatory training compliance, and declarations of interest, questioning the actions taken and timelines for improvement. Mr Mepham stated that these metrics are tracked by the departmental management team and that targeted interventions are being developed. Ellen Clarke, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, added that a central HR dashboard will track these metrics and that remedial work is being done to improve data accuracy, particularly for waste services and agency workers.

Councillor Abdal Ullah questioned the significant expenditure on agency staff in the public realm, amounting to £2.1 million. Mr Mepham explained that this is due to historical recruitment difficulties and the nature of the workforce, but that the council is working to phase out agency staff and move towards permanent roles. He acknowledged that some reliance on agency staff will remain for operational flexibility. Councillor Mads Churchhouse inquired about historical contracted staff figures in public realm and the process for reducing agency staff numbers. She also raised concerns about the waste and cleansing restructure and its potential link to missed bin collections. Mr Mepham stated that he would provide further detail on these matters.

Councillor Saied Ahmed highlighted the importance of showcasing the council's work and the commitment of councillors to residents, suggesting public forums or local newspapers. He also commented positively on the new member brochure.

Councillor Abdal Ullah raised concerns about the Be Well leisure task force and the ongoing dispute regarding terms and conditions for staff, seeking clarity on resolution timelines and employee empowerment. Mr Mepham explained that the task force is addressing multiple issues including contracts, pay, training, culture, and communication, and is also focusing on empowering staff in a commercial environment. Ellen Clarke added that contracts for leisure staff are being issued, and efforts are being made to convert agency roles to permanent positions. She also noted the importance of promoting access to wellbeing support for frontline staff. Councillor Abdal Ullah also inquired about the focus on apprenticeships and the progress of service redesigns, as well as the communication regarding the York Hall Leisure Centre closure and reopening plans. Mr Mepham confirmed that apprenticeships are being used to address skills gaps, particularly in environmental health and leisure services, and that the approach to service redesign includes union engagement and clear communication. He also provided an update on the York Hall Leisure Centre, stating that essential maintenance is underway and it is anticipated to reopen in the new year.

Senior Recruitment Update

Ellen Clarke, Director of Human Resources, provided an update on senior leadership recruitment. She reported that Ian Williams will start as Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer on 16 November, and Emma Horner will begin as Director of Finance in early December. Darren Mepham has been appointed as Interim Corporate Director of Communities, and Tina Stankley as Interim Director of Resources. Recruitment is underway for the Director of Young Tower Hamlets and Director of Transformation roles. A comprehensive recruitment plan aims to fill remaining senior vacancies by the end of January. The committee was asked to approve extensions for several interim arrangements, which Ellen Clarke noted was a higher number than average due to previous restrictions on recruitment.

Councillor Abdal Ullah raised concerns about the use of agency staff in the planning department and the due diligence conducted on temporary staff, particularly regarding potential conflicts of interest. Ellen Clarke stated that agency spend has been reduced by £12 million over the last 12 months and that temporary staff undergo similar due diligence to employees, including declarations of interest.

Councillor Maium Talukdar asked for assurance on attracting the best candidates and the implementation of the grow our own strategy. Ellen Clarke explained that the council is using more proactive market engagement and diversifying search partners. She acknowledged that more can be done to ensure the workforce reflects the community and that the people strategy will focus on development programmes to support career progression. She offered to provide an update on the people strategy at a future meeting.

Councillor Kabir Ahmed expressed concern about the number of long-term interim appointments and the perceived lack of internal development opportunities, such as step-up roles and secondments. Ellen Clarke stated that the number of long-term interims is decreasing and that the council is prioritising recruitment to key roles. She acknowledged that while the council has highly qualified individuals, historical exposure to senior roles has been limited, and this is being addressed through the people strategy.

The committee noted the proposed extensions for interim arrangements.

Employee Relations Casework and Policy Quarterly Review

Ellen Clark presented the quarterly review of employee relations casework, covering the period up to June 2026. She reported that the number of open cases has stabilised, with 54 cases in total. Of these, 25 were employer-managed cases, primarily disciplinary and attendance management issues, with the Communities Directorate having the highest volume. Employee-led casework included 29 grievances. The report highlighted a trend of increasing complexity in employee relations issues nationally, partly due to the rise of AI, and noted delays in employment tribunal hearings.

Key activities underway include strengthening employee relations capacity with new leads for ER transformation and trade union relations, and the procurement of a new case management system. Policy developments include the introduction of a Wellbeing Passport, revised declarations of interest process, and updates to the probation policy. Reviews are also underway for grievance and sexual harassment policies, and redeployment guidance.

Councillor Mads Churchhouse requested summaries of case trend outcomes and risks without disclosing confidential information. Ellen Clark agreed to provide this. Councillor Maium Talukdar asked for trend data to be included in future reports.

Councillor Abdal Ullah inquired about the Wellbeing Passport, specifically regarding record-keeping and automation. Ellen Clarke explained that it will be a documented record of reasonable adjustments, caring responsibilities, and preferences, and that the aim is to integrate it into the HR system for automated record-keeping.

Councillor Mads Churchhouse requested an equalities breakdown of grievances, particularly those going to tribunals, and for trade union disputes to be more transparently included in reports. She also questioned the discrepancy between open grievances (29) and employment tribunal cases (57). Ellen Clarke agreed to include information on trade union disputes in future reports and explained that the higher number of tribunal cases is due to delays in tribunal availability, which are beyond the council's control.

Councillor Saied Ahmed echoed concerns about trade union disputes and also raised the issue of female staff experience within the council, suggesting HR look into the overall relationship, atmosphere, and sense of belonging for female staff of all ethnic backgrounds. Ellen Clarke agreed to take this away as an action, linking it to the request for an equalities assessment.

Councillor Kabir Ahmed noted the previous availability of detailed analytics on age, gender, and ethnicity in past reports and requested a return to this format, including timeframes for case resolution and directorate breakdowns. Ellen Clarke agreed to take this away as an action, acknowledging the importance of trended data and the flow of cases.

Update on Savings from ER/VR

Chris Leslie, Director of Finance, presented an update on savings achieved through the Early Retirement (ER) and Voluntary Redundancy (VR) scheme. Since 2024-25, 66 employees have left the council through the scheme, resulting in total savings of £4.434 million. The one-off cost to the council for these exits was £2.462 million, funded by capital receipts. Councillor Mads Churchhouse questioned how savings are realised if posts are refilled. Mr Leslie clarified that a prerequisite for approval is that the post can be removed without replacement, ensuring efficiencies. Councillor Saied Ahmed asked how the council ensures posts removed are not replaced by agency staff. Mr Leslie explained that the approval process involves sign-offs from managers, directors, and finance, with budget deletion as a mechanism for monitoring. Councillor Abdal Ullah raised concerns about the loss of organisational memory due to redundancies and the safeguards in place to prevent this. Mr Leslie stated that the process focuses on individual posts rather than entire teams, and that departure dates are agreed to allow for adequate handover.

Any Other Business

No other business was raised.

The meeting concluded with the next meeting scheduled for Monday, 18 January 2027.