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Executive Board. The Cabinet makes most of the council's decisions.
Hybrid Working Policy
RESOLVED – (i) That consultation be undertaken on the draft Hybrid Policy and two options regarding site attendance as follows: 1) 60% in office/site and 40% working at home 2) 80% in the office/site and 20% working at home (ii) That following consultation, a report be submitted to Executive Board to share the feedback and to seek approval of a Hybrid Policy implementation. Reasons for decisions (i) To ensure that the Council applies a modern, efficient and fair approach to working practices. (ii) To ensure consultation with the trade union representatives and employees on the impacts o…
Customers, Performance, Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee. Scrutiny committees question decisions and can recommend changes. They don't make the decision.
Hybrid working policy: pre-decision feedback
The Committee agreed to recommend to Executive Board that any hybrid working policy it adopts is no less flexible than current arrangements, particularly the office and home working ratios in paragraph 6.1 of the draft. It said those ratios should stay as averages for guidance, not as hard measures. The Committee also thanked staff who took part in the questionnaire, asked for a progress report after the policy is in place, and recommended that Members be encouraged to contact staff through Teams, with relevant training provided.
Executive Board. The Cabinet makes most of the council's decisions.
Hybrid working policy for council staff
The Board approved the hybrid working policy, to take effect on 1 September 2025. It requires an average attendance of 80% in the office or on site and 20% working at home. The policy will be reviewed within 12 months, or sooner if service performance is affected, and reported back to the Board.
Customers, Performance, Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee. Scrutiny committees question decisions and can recommend changes. They don't make the decision.
Call In of Executive Board Decision of 13 May 2025 'Hybrid Working Policy'
The committee agreed to refer back to the Executive Board, for reconsideration, its decision of 13 May 2025 on the Hybrid Working Policy. That decision set an implementation date of 1 September 2025, an average of 80% of time in the office or on site and 20% at home, and a review within 12 months. The referral rests on the reasons in Appendix 1 of report COGC/45/25s, which is the call-in notice.
Customers, Performance, Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee. Scrutiny committees question decisions and can recommend changes. They don't make the decision.
Review of the Hybrid Working Policy
The committee agreed to recommend Microsoft Teams training for Members to the Head of Democratic Services. It also agreed to recommend to the Lead Member for Housing and Climate Change that the Cost of Living Working Group consider the 4:1 office-to-home ratio (four days in the office for every day at home), given fuel and energy cost rises linked to the conflict in the Middle East. It also agreed that a further progress update be submitted 12 months after the policy was implemented.
Items are linked when their titles share most of their words and they fall within 18 months of each other. Councils don't number reports across meetings, so a few links may be wrong, and a step may be missing if its title changed a lot. Each step links to the meeting, where the council's own papers are.