The Appeals Sub Committee of Aberdeen City Council met on Monday 14 September 2026. The meeting was scheduled to discuss the committee's procedures and a specific appeal case.

Appeals Sub Committee Procedure

The committee was scheduled to review its operational procedures, as outlined in the Appeals Sub Committee Procedure document¹. This procedure details how the committee will handle appeals made by employees and industrial disputes raised by recognised trade unions, in line with the Council's Human Resources Policies and Procedures and Dispute Resolution Procedure.

The procedure document outlines the composition of the Appeals Sub Committee, which is to comprise five members drawn from the Staff Governance Committee, with a quorum of three. It also details the pre-hearing process for individual appeals, including the timeframe for lodging an appeal, notification to parties, and the role of informal mediation facilitated by an HR officer. The procedure also specifies the requirements for submitting witness lists and documents, and how requests for adjustments to the process for disabled individuals will be handled.

The hearing process itself was also scheduled for discussion. This includes the order of proceedings, with preliminary points to be raised by both management and the appellant, followed by the presentation of cases by management and the appellant, respectively. The role of HR and Legal Advisers in providing clarification was also to be covered. The procedure details how summing up will occur and the Sub Committee's deliberation process, which involves reviewing the fairness and reasonableness of officer decisions rather than re-hearing the case. The range of decisions available to the Sub Committee, including revoking, confirming, or varying the decision under appeal, was also to be addressed.

For formal disputes raised by trade unions, the procedure outlines a similar process, including the submission of forms, notification to relevant parties, and the role of the Sub Committee in reviewing the remedy sought by the trade union. The procedure details the attendees for such hearings, including employee representatives, union representatives, and management representatives, alongside legal and HR officers. The order of hearing for trade union disputes involves preliminary points, addresses from union and management representatives, and opportunities for the Sub Committee and its advisers to ask questions. The procedure also outlines the potential conclusions and deliberations, which include upholding the dispute in full, upholding it in part, or not upholding the dispute, with specific definitions for each outcome.

Appeal 26/04

The committee was also scheduled to consider Appeal 26/04, as detailed in the confidential information section of the report pack. This item, along with a list of attendees and witnesses, and appellant documents, was to be treated as confidential information under section 50A(3)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The report pack indicates that extensive documentation was provided for this appeal, comprising 82 pages for the appeal itself and 148 pages for appellant documents.