The Human Resources Committee of Tower Hamlets Council was scheduled to review updates on senior recruitment, consider a quarterly report on employee relations casework and policy, and receive an update from Corporate Directors. The meeting agenda also included a review of the committee's work plan.

Corporate Directors Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update from Corporate Directors. This item was previously deferred from the December 2025 meeting due to the illness of Simon Baxter, Corporate Director for Communities. The report was expected to cover directorate structures and provide updates. The committee was also to receive confirmation on arrangements within the directorate concerning the post of Programme Director for Transformation.

Update on Senior Recruitment

An update was scheduled regarding the progress of senior officer recruitment. This report detailed permanent appointments made since the last meeting, as well as posts currently in the recruitment and selection process. The report noted that no permanent appointments had been made since the December 2025 meeting. Several directorates, including Children's Services, Communities, Health and Adult Social Care, and Resources, had ongoing recruitment processes for senior roles. The committee was asked to approve the extension of interim arrangements for several key positions, including the Interim Director of Governance, Interim Director of Youth Services, and Director of Accelerated & Priority Projects, to provide continuity, particularly through the election period.

Employee Relations Casework and Policy Quarterly Review

The committee was scheduled to review the employee relations casework for the third quarter (October to December 2025). The report indicated a slight decrease in the total number of cases compared to the previous quarter, with 129 open and closed cases. The duration for resolving cases exceeding 180 days had reduced for the fourth consecutive quarter. Attendance Management and Disciplinary cases saw an increase, though they remained lower than the same quarter in the previous year. Grievance cases remained steady. The report highlighted that a significant number of employee relations cases were linked to other ongoing matters, particularly within the Communities directorate. The promotion of in-house mediation services and encouragement for managers to engage in informal discussions to resolve issues at an early stage were noted. The report also included detailed data on cases by directorate and type, as well as equalities data for disciplinary and grievance cases across various directorates.

Work Plan

The committee was scheduled to review its work plan for the current municipal year. This included noting the committee's terms of reference, quorum, and meeting dates for 2025-26. Previous work plan items included updates on the gender pay gap, employee relations casework, and senior recruitment.

Declarations of Interests

Members were reminded to consider the Code of Conduct for Members and declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or non-disclosable pecuniary interests relevant to agenda items. Guidance was provided on the nature of these interests and the actions members should take if they have them.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was scheduled to agree the unrestricted minutes of the Human Resources Committee meeting held on 22 December 2025.

Action Log

The committee was scheduled to note the action log from previous meetings.