Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that the Review of Public Administration Vacancy Control Procedures, which had been agreed by the Local Government Reform Joint Forum and issued under the authority of the Local Government Staff Commission, had come into force on 1st October, 2009 and had been subsequently suspended on 23rd June, 2010.  The primary rationale of those procedures was to seek to “safeguard the employment of existing Council staff as a result of the decisions arising from the Review of Public Administration”. 

            The Head of Human Resources reported that now that the timetable for implementing the Review of Public Administration in Local Government had been clarified, the Local Government Staff Commission had advised that the Vacancy Control Procedures would be re-introduced under Section 40(4)(f) of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 with effect from 1st November, 2012.  The procedures set out a stepped process for councils to follow in respect of mitigating potential redundancies which were as follows:

Step 1  -     Avoid creating any new posts unless there was an inescapable need or requirement to do so;

Step 2  -     Avoid filling any vacant posts;

Step 3  -     If needs be, fill vacant posts using restricted pools, that is, from “at risk” staff within own council; “cluster” councils; 26 councils; or the Review of Public Administration Affected Group;

Step 4  -     If a post was not filled via the restricted pool approach, publicly advertise the vacant post but consider filling it only on a temporary basis, fixed-term basis, etc;

Step 5  -     Record all relevant issues/decisions made and provide regular reports to the Local Government Staff Commission.

            The Head of Human Resources reported that at this stage the procedures related only to vacancies that existed in the following groupings of staff:

·        Chief Executive

·        Director

·        Head of Service

·        Personal Assistants to the above posts

·        Members’/Democratic Services posts

            The re-introduction of the Vacancy Control Procedures would be incorporated into the Council’s existing vacancy control processes whereby the decision to fill a post was considered on a case by case basis in the context of corporate priorities, the efficiency programme and the need to deliver the Council’s Investment Programme.

            She reminded the Members that the Council was committed to providing 200 job opportunities as part of the Investment Programme which in effect meant 200 job opportunities publicly advertised by the Council.  The re-introduction of the Vacancy Control Procedures would have a minimal impact on the Investment Programme because the need to avoid creating any new posts, avoid filling vacant posts and fill posts via the restricted pool approach instead of public advertisement would only relate to the aforementioned five categories of affected staff.  However, should the scope of affected Review of Public Administration staff be widened beyond those five categories, then the impact of the Review of Public Administration Vacancy Control Procedures might be more significant.  She undertook to keep that issue under review and update the Committee accordingly.

            The Committee noted the re-introduction of the Review of Public Administration Vacancy Control Procedures for the posts as outlined with effect from 1st November, 2012.