Agenda item

To consider the report.

(a)  To accept the report, noting the observations made during the meeting.

(b)  To recommend that the Cabinet consider looking at staff salary scales across the Council and how they compare with the salaries of neighbouring councils.

The Cabinet Member for the Environment provided an introduction noting that this was a report to outline the important work of the Public Protection department during the pandemic. It was reiterated that a substantial amount of work was happening behind the scenes and it was not often that everyone heard about this work which was an important part of the council.

Submitted – the report of the Head of the Environment Department who reiterated the Cabinet Member's gratitude to all the staff in the department. He went on to note that officers and staff were still busy working on Covid-29 matters in addition to their usual duties which would recommence in the next phase. He emphasised that staff were undertaking these responsibilities despite working with lower staffing numbers due to a decade of cuts.

He reiterated that the cuts had now led to a lack of resilience within the department. He drew attention to the type of cuts that had been made, for example in 2011/12 there were 63 officers within the department and that number had now fallen to 42. He continued to explain the impact of the cuts namely that there was a great demand for officers with the necessary expertise who met the requirements of the post.

He discussed another element which reiterated the lack of resilience within the department, namely there was inconsistency in the salary levels of the posts across the north Wales counties. It was explained that Gwynedd Council paid lower salaries than nearby counties and there was concern that officers would be lost as some had already moved to posts in other counties.

He referred to the solutions to the pressures on the service including appointing new officers using funding from the hardships fund. He went on to discuss their initial duties namely to engage with communities, school and local businesses. It was explained that these new officers would have the opportunity to continue as permanent technicians or officers for the department in future.

During the discussion, the following observations were made by members:

- The members expressed their thanks for the report especially in light of the information about the new Covid-19 variants that were emerging. It was reiterated that Covid-19 would be here for a while and there was a need to plan for the long term.

- In relation to matters regarding salaries, it was asked whether the jobs were being appraised to reflect a reduction in the number of departments and the additional workload. It was reiterated that there was a need to strengthen the department as there were new developments with the pandemic.

- It was agreed that there was a real need to revise the salary scale if talented officers were being lost to counties who were paying more for the same work.

- Concern was raised about mobile food trucks which were increasing during this time and whether they had received the correct authorisation to operate, in relation to food hygiene.

- It was stated that the job cuts had gone too far within the department, and consequently there was a genuine need to recruit staff. It was noted in terms of staff retention there was a need to ensure fair salaries.

- It was asked who was responsible for employing new track and trace staff in light of the high numbers that were required.

- It was acknowledged that Gwynedd Council was lower in terms of salary scale compared with adjacent counties and there was a need to act on this to retain staff. It was reiterated that there was a need to refer the matter of salary scales to the cabinet's attention.

- In light of easing restrictions, everyone was reminded of the need to support Gwynedd businesses that were reopening after a very difficult time.

In response to the above observations, the following was noted:-

- The Head of Environment Department thanked the members for their comments and their support with the report and to recommend the need to amend the salary scales.

- It was added that the jobs had been appraised and that recognition had been made for officers who were undertaking a number of additional duties.

- In relation to the new food trucks that were appearing, it was assured that everyone require a food hygiene permit and every business needed was required to display its hygiene score on the site.

- It was noted that there was no specific procedure for licensing locations at the moment in Gwynedd.

- It was agreed that there was a need to look at new food trucks in order to ensure safety and appropriate behaviour.

- It was confirmed that Welsh Government paid the salaries of track and trace officers and that Flintshire received the money and allocated it. It was noted that Gwynedd officers were employed by Flintshire. It was explained that this happened to avoid inconsistency in the job evaluation and to ensure consistency of salaries.

RESOLVED

(a)  To accept the report, noting the observations made during the meeting.

(b)  To recommend that the Cabinet consider looking at staff salary scales across the Council and how they compare with the salaries of neighbouring councils.