Issue - meetings

Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Deputy Director Democratic Services or their representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 60.

In accordance with the provisions outlined above it has been agreed to receive the following as an urgent item at this meeting:

9.1   Approval to make a severance payment

This report seeks approval for a severance payment.  As the pension strain costs that the council must bear as part of the payment under the Pension Scheme rules, amount to over £100,000 the General Purposes Committee is required to approve the payment.

The reasons for urgency are as detailed within section 1.2 of the attached report.

(Agenda republished to include this item on 24 May 2024)

In accordance with Standing Order 60 Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Chair) advised the Committee that he had agreed to deal with the following as an urgent item of business on the grounds that the Voluntary Redundancy process that the severance payment related to had only closed on 17 May 2024 at which stage the individual concerned had come forward.  As the payment relating to the proposed redundancy would exceed £100,000, formal approval was required by General Purposes Committee prior to final notice being served, which officers were aiming to complete by 31 May 2024 to confirm deletion of the role. It had not, therefore, been possible to include advance notice of the item prior to the agenda for the meeting being published.

9.1   Approval to make a Severance Payment

Musrat Zaman (Director of Human Resources & Organisational Development) was then invited to introduce the report from the Head of Paid Service seeking approval to make a severance payment consisting predominantly of actuarial strain costs that related to the release of a pension on the basis that the employees post was redundant.

In noting the background to the proposal, the Committee were advised that the voluntary redundancy related to a restructure and reconfiguration within the HR and Organisational Development service designed to enhance support to the Council’s realigned departmental structure, with the total cost resulting in a payback period of less than two years.

Having considered the report, including the details contained within the exempt appendix, and accepted the item as urgent it was RESOLVED to:

(1)    Approve the severance payment as set out in the report.

(2)    Note that the payment did not include any element additional to sums calculated in accordance with the Council’s Managing Change Policy and the requirements of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Head of Executive and Member Services or her representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 60.

None.