Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Fearn, Hamilton and Williams.

To approve the record of the meeting of the Employment Matters Committee held on 2 July 2026.

To note the record of the meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee held on 2 July 2026.

The record of the meeting held on 2 July 2026 was agreed and signed by the Chairperson as correct.

The record of the Joint Consultative Committee held on 2 July 2026 was noted by the Committee.

The Chairperson will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which they have agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report.

There were none. 

Members are invited to disclose any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests in accordance with the Member Code of Conduct. Guidance on this is set out in agenda item 4.

Disclosable pecuniary interests

There were none.

Other significant interests (OSIs)

There were none.

Other interests

Councillor Cook disclosed that she was a member of the NAHT trade union. For transparency, Councillor Cook advised that she was an independent training provider involved in apprenticeship provision, and attended some of the same networks as council staff, but did not have any business interaction in that regard.

Councillor Peake disclosed that he was a member UNISON.

Councillor Mark Prenter disclosed that he was a member of the ASLEF trade union.

This report contains further amendments to the Car and Travel Allowance Policy.

Discussion

The Chief Organisational Culture Officer introduced the report which recommended further amendments to the Car and Travel Allowance Policy previously agreed at the meeting on 2 July 2026. It was a light touch update on mileage rates, strengthening guidance relating to business travel claims, HMRC taxation requirements and employee responsibility. The amendments provided greater clarity on claimable taxable and recordable mileage and introduced clear examples to support consistent application of the policy. It was noted that as Local Government Reorganisation had now been paused (LGR), any further changes to the policy would be taken forward within the Gun Wharf staff travel plan project.

Mileage rates - In response to questions the Chief Organisational Culture Officer advised that in some circumstances, the Council's rates did differ from the HMRC rates, and some employees received additional allowances linked to particular car user statuses, mileage thresholds or business travel requirements. As a result, any increase in mileage rates would need to be considered alongside the potential removal or adjustment of other allowances currently received. There had been an intention to align arrangements with neighbouring authorities as part of the LGR discussions, but as this was no longer progressing at present, a full review would be incorporated into the Gun Wharf staff travel plan, which was also looking at a range of alternative transport options such as park and ride schemes and subsidised travel arrangements. A staff survey had recently been undertaken as part of the development of the travel plan, and the findings would be used to inform the design and facilities available at Gun Wharf. The Chief Organisational Culture Officer advised that she would update Members on the survey findings once the analysis had been completed.

Business Insurance – In response to concerns, the Chief Organisational Culture Officer advised that it was the line managers responsibility to check staff had the relevant documentation, such as appropriate business use insurance, where employees claimed mileage or received particular travel-related allowances. Records were maintained locally rather than centrally by Human Resources and employees were required to make a formal self-declaration when submitting mileage claims, confirming that they held the necessary business insurance and other relevant documentation. Annual reviews of mileage and car user status were also undertaken to ensure allowances were updated appropriately, with employees being added to or removed from particular schemes where necessary.

Travel efficiency and sustainable forms of transport – In response to a question, it was explained that the mode of transport expected for a role was often determined by the requirements of the post itself. Job descriptions identified where an employee was required to be a car user, particularly in roles involving multiple visits across Medway or attendance at residents' homes. These requirements were made clear during recruitment. For ad hoc journeys, however, such as travelling between Council sites, the method of travel would generally be a local management decision based on operational need, cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Officers noted that not all employees drove, with some relying on public  ...  view the full minutes text for item 314.

This report provides the Committee with the results for this reporting year ahead of publication on the Council’s public website by 31 March 2027 and on the Government dedicated gender pay gap reporting website.

 Discussion

The Head of Employee Relations introduced the report which provided the Council’s results for the reporting year ahead of publication on the Council’s public website by 31 March 2027 and on the Government dedicated gender pay gap reporting website. It was noted that the Council did not have a specific duty to publish data on an ethnicity or disability pay gap, but this data was also provided in the report.

Gender pay gap - In response to questions theHead of Employee Relations advised that whilst the gender pay gap had reduced significantly further work was required to scrutinise and analyse the underlying data. The introduction of the MedPay PPP pay scale had been a significant factor in reducing the gender pay gap. While this had reduced variation in pay, it was acknowledged that there could still be differences in the distribution of male and female employees across those levels. It was noted that the transition of senior leadership roles to the MedPay PPP scheme could have a future impact on the Council’s gender pay gap figures. Employees who believed they were being treated unfairly in relation to pay had access to the Council’s grievance procedures. A commitment had been included within the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan to undertake a detailed review of recruitment data through an EDI lens.

In response to questions it was advised that the gender pay gap analysis did not specifically measure the impact of career breaks, and that uptake of shared parental leave was relatively low and was unlikely to have had a significant impact on the overall gender pay gap figures.

Gender balance - It was queried whether the Council should be taking steps to encourage greater male representation within the workforce. It was agreed that the issue warranted consideration and noted that a number of traditionally male-dominated services, such as waste collection, were now outsourced and therefore not reflected within the Council’s direct workforce figures. In contrast, many of the Council’s largest employment groups, including administrative and social work roles, had traditionally attracted higher numbers of female employees. It was also noted that the Council’s family-friendly employment policies were likely to contribute positively to the attraction and retention of female employees.

Bonuses - It was queried why it appeared that there was a higher proportion of bonuses received by employees from ethnic minority backgrounds, and explained that the bonuses were predominantly associated with social workers, and where was a relatively higher proportion of employees from ethnic minority backgrounds and was a contributing factor to the bonus statistics. Further analysis of the data would form part of the wider programme of detailed workforce monitoring and review.

Members noted the Joint Consultative Committee comments from the earlier meeting.

Decision

a)            The Employment Matters Committee noted the report in relation to the gender pay gap, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, prior to external publication and also noted the ethnicity and disability pay gap results, as set out in Appendices  ...  view the full minutes text for item 315.

This report presents Medway Council's annual Workforce Report for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Discussion

The Chief Organisational Culture Officer introduced the report which presented Medway Council's annual workforce report for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, attached at Appendix 1, and the accompanying workforce report action plan, attached at Appendix 2.

The workforce report provided an overview of workforce composition, equality monitoring, recruitment, retention, turnover and sickness absence. It highlighted positive improvements in workforce stability, alongside areas requiring further attention, including equality data quality, succession planning and workforce retention. The workforce report action plan set out the actions that would be taken to address identified workforce priorities and to support continuous improvement across the organisation.

Contracts - In response to a question the Chief Organisational Culture Officer clarified that the difference between established contracts and casual and relief contracts, was one had committed hours and the others did not.

Aging workforce - In response to questions regarding the ageing workforce, the Head of HR advised that there had been positive progress in retaining employees for longer periods. Significant efforts had also been made to strengthen the early talent pipeline and attract younger people into the organisation largely due to the success of apprenticeship programmes, work experience placements and other early entry schemes. Members were informed that opportunities such as work experience and internships had been affected by reduced office attendance following the move away from the former Gun Wharf working arrangements. Nevertheless, the Recruitment Team continued to proactively engage with colleges, the Department for Work and Pensions and job fairs to promote the wide variety of career opportunities available within the Council. Further work was being undertaken with education partners to develop "taste day" opportunities to enable apprentices and new entrants to gain broader knowledge of potential career pathways to retain skills and experience rather than losing them altogether. Turnover among younger employees was expected and further analysis was required to understand whether this was concentrated within particular teams, professions or areas experiencing recruitment challenges and high vacancy levels.

It was noted that the Apprenticeship Academy was now providing enhanced support to apprentices and young employees. This included pastoral support, mentoring and assistance in adjusting to the workplace. Training and support was also being strengthened for managers to ensure that younger employees were effectively supported to settle into the organisation.

Turnover - In response to questions concerning the one-year turnover rates, it was noted that overall turnover had reduced in line with the ambitions of the Workforce Strategy, and the target turnover rate of 10% had been achieved, however this did remain a concern. Fixed-term and grant-funded posts contributed to this figure and further detailed analysis was required to determine the extent to which the figure reflected contractual endings as opposed to employees actively choosing to leave the organisation. It was suggested that consideration should also be given to the geographical location of employees and whether commuting distances had any impact on retention rates.

Children's Services and Adult Social Care continued to experience the highest one-year turnover rates and faced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 316.

This report provides an update on progress against the Learning and Development Strategy and associated Action Plan during 2025/26.

Discussion

The Learning and Development Manager presented the report which provided an update on progress against the learning and development strategy and associated action plan during 2025/26. Significant progress had been made in strengthening employee development opportunities and learning governance. Key achievements included the review of the Medway College of Social Care, the introduction of a council-wide learning needs analysis process, and the development of new learning resources to support managers. The report also outlined priorities for 2026/27, including the rollout of leadership development programmes, mentoring arrangements and enhanced workforce analytics.

Learning and development priorities - In response to a question about how learning and development priorities were identified to ensure they aligned with organisational objectives, the Learning and Development Manager explained that it was guided by the Career Progression Framework, which set out expectations across Levels A, B and C. Apprenticeships were considered the first option for development opportunities, in line with council policy and strategy. Training requests were assessed against organisational priorities, including statutory, mandatory and legislative requirements, before any additional budget was allocated.

Funding - In response to questions addressing the loss of the apprenticeship levy funding, particularly for higher levels the Learning and Development Manager advised that other options were being explored with training providers. There would be a budgetary impact, but work was ongoing to maximise available resources and identify sustainable alternatives. Such as externally accredited leadership training.

It was confirmed that statutory and mandatory training took priority, followed by development aligned to career progression frameworks and professional requirements.

Stress - It was queried why, when there were a number of staff sickness absence rates associated with stress and anxiety, there had been little take up of the Managing Your Own Stress Levels course on offer. The Chief Organisational Culture Officer advised that those courses were not mandatory. It was also pointed out that there was no data on what other resources those staff may have accessed for assistance, however it could be looked at for possible signposting.

Members noted the Joint Consultative Committee comments from the earlier meeting.

Decision

a)       The Employment Matters Committee noted the key achievements of the Learning and Development Action Plan in 2025/26 set out in section 4 of the report.

b)       The Employment Matters Committee noted the proposed key actions in the learning and development strategy and timescales for delivery for 2026/27.

This paper shares that Medway Council has joined the Medway Healthy Workplaces Programme, and has identified actions from the benchmarking assessment.

Discussion

The Head of Employee Relations presented the report which advised that the Council had joined the Medway Healthy Workplaces Programme, and as part of the benchmarking assessment, had identified several actions to support a reduction in staff absences and an improvement in the overall wellbeing of staff that have been pulled together in an overall action plan.

Members noted the Joint Consultative Committee comments from the earlier meeting.

Decision

The Employment Matters Committee noted the report.