Agenda item

The Leader presented the report, advising that staff, Elected Members and the public had to adapt to the on-going pandemic and it was likely that the way we work would never return to the way it was before Covid-19 impacted us all. Staff and Elected Members would only be afforded the opportunity of making more use of the Civic Centre when it was safe to do so. Welsh Government, and now UK Government, guidance was clear, those who could work from home should do so.

Cabinet had previously received a report on the New Normal and was asked for further work to be undertaken. Today the follow up report asked to make a series of decisions in order to progress this work.

Strategic Recovery Aim 3 of our Covid Recovery Strategy agreed by Cabinet, focused on Sustaining a Safe, Healthy and Productive Workforce. Most staff continued to deliver face to face, front line services, protected by appropriate risk assessments and mitigations such as the use of PPE, lateral flow tests, adaptations to workplaces and appointment systems for services.

Around 1200 of staff and Elected Members, were asked to work from home in line with Welsh Government guidance and in order to protect them, their colleagues and the public and to slow the spread of the virus.

This report sets out the next stages of moving to a new, flexible operating model that enabled us to meet our Strategic Recovery Aims, supports the work towards the Modernised Council agenda within the Corporate Plan and gave an opportunity to bring more people in to the Civic Centre, which in turn helped reduce our carbon footprint and support the city centre.

Organisationally we were in a strong position to respond to the pandemic and implement flexible deployment of our staff due to investments we had made in technology over the previous years. Staff were also used to working agilely. In an occupancy assessment of the Civic Centre before the pandemic began, we had a maximum desk occupancy of just under 400 staff. This was significantly below the capacity of the building.

The report rightly highlighted the climate change impacts of commuting and the potential benefits associated with a flexible approach to working. This was also in line with the Welsh Government’s Remote Working Wales approach, which focused on supporting town and city centres by providing space for public sector

officers to work from town and city centre locations close to their homes.

The approach taken in development of the New Normal work was as follows:

·        Democratic Function

·        Technology

·        Employment policies

·        Civic Centre and public use

The Local Government and Elections Act required the council to make provision for hybrid Council and Committee meetings. This meant it would need to be able to hold a Council meeting with some Members in the Chamber and others accessing the meeting remotely.  There was a need to broadcast these meetings.

Work was underway to install the technology to ensure we could operate this way and adapt to the way meetings were run in the future

Cabinet previously signed off a report to move its data centre from the Civic Centre, in collaboration with SRS partners. Due to previous investments the council was well placed to maximise the potential of remote working solutions for both staff and Members.

That left the utilisation of the Civic Centre and employment policies as the substantive points for a decision to be taken by Cabinet.

Newport staff were incredible throughout the pandemic. They have showed a real commitment to public service and the people of Newport. The Leader once again said a huge thankyou to all Council staff.

We have asked staff how they have adapted to working flexibly and there was a clear message that this was something staff value and would like to continue with. The report therefore asked that Cabinet consider a review of a number of policies: agile working policy; work/life balance policy; flexi time scheme and travel and subsistence policy.  The car parking at the Civic Centre would also need to be reviewed.

As an employer with a responsibility to collectively bargain with recognised trade unions on terms and conditions for the workforce, any proposed employment policy change would be fully consulted upon prior to adoption at the Council’s Employment Partnership Forum. Newport City Council strived to work in social partnership with its trade union representatives and it was anticipated that a review of the above policies would be undertaken jointly with the trade unions.

With regard to the Civic Centre, Cabinet was asked to consider a recommendation to focus its use of the building on the East Wing. This part of the building was more able to accommodate large numbers of staff and ensured that the central core of the Civic was still available for the democratic functions of the Council.

This would create opportunities to use the remaining parts of the building for third party usage. The Leader previously mentioned Remote Working Wales and it was intended, if Cabinet agreed, to provide a Public Access Hub at the Civic Centre for other public sector workers to utilise. We could also develop our ideas around a Cultural Hub for the city.

What was presented was a low cost option – both in terms of cash and carbon impact. It would seek to utilise current floor plans and furniture and also enabled the Council to be open to further opportunities in the future.

It should also create an environment where more individuals would be present in the Civic Centre each day (staff, Members, other public sector workers, the community and voluntary sector) and this in turn should support the city centre.

The following was therefore put to Cabinet:

1.        Accept a new operating model, in principle and pending consultation with Trade Unions and staff that built on experiences of operating during Covid.

a.           Consult on the introduction of a Homeworking policy and the inclusion of homeworking as a flexible working option in the Work/Life Balance policy.

b.           Review the Flexi Time scheme and the appropriateness of this going forward.

c.           Develop a review of the Travel and Subsistence policy to reflect increased homeworking and associated travel for business purposes

d.           A review of the parking provision at the Civic Centre will be required to effectively prioritise key groups

2.        To meet our Strategic Recovery aims and to manage the interim position dealing with Covid 19 and implementing the New Normal

a.           Agree to designate the East Wing as the primary area of occupation of the Civic Centre. 

b.           Zone the East Wing by Directorate so that staff would be able to work together in their professional groups when in the building.

c.           Develop technological solutions to support this (booking system, etc).

The alternative option presented was to return to the pre Covid occupancy of the building and staff policies.

Comments of Cabinet Members:

·        Councillor Mayer mentioned that the new ways of working was forced upon the Council because of the pandemic, but that staff responded well within the first week of the lockdown.  Remote working had previously been pushed back in the past but had now worked really well, under the circumstances, it could also be seen as a cost saving exercise.  Contact centre easier to be contacted under new arrangements and increased workload and service to the public. This was for the benefit for the staff and the public.  The flexible working meant that staff could better use their time, but staff needed to be careful to get the work life balance right.

·        Councillor Davies echoed the comments of the Leader and Cabinet Member and was pleased to see 710 responses to the survey, which received some realistic responses at an outcome of the consultation process as well as responses from the union representatives which was important as an ongoing response to these arrangements.  As part of the survey, staff would be able to access hubs which would be put in place by the WG to help with work life balance.  This was a positive report and an excellent model, with a positive outcome.

·        Councillor Truman mentioned that Newport stayed open for the public.  The hubs were fantastic as well as the help the council received, including partnerships set up during pandemic.  Covid could be around for a number of years, this new model meant that the Council was adapting to work with it, therefore the Cabinet Member welcomed the report.

·        Councillor Harvey referred to the statistics in the report where 8% respondents had not enjoyed working from home but 68% did and 76% felt they had more flexibility in their working hours.  There was 18% of staff that looked forward to a return to work but 40% preferred to work from home.  This new way of working was taking on board what the staff wanted to do, which meant that the Council was a fair and encompassing employer.  This report was therefore a way of repaying staff for their hard work.

·        Councillor Cockeram mentioned that the new way of working would also cut down on travel and referred to the WG meetings before the pandemic, where councillors and officers travelled as far as North or Mid Wales, with over two hours travel time.  The Cabinet Member also advised that the Council must also consider the mental health of employees and this report covered both aspects.

·        Councillor Hughes also echoed comments of colleagues and thanked staff for their effort during the pandemic as well as mentioning the carefully considered approach to this report, such as working with scrutiny, undertaking staff survey and consultation with partners considering a hybrid model.  The Work life balance and flexibility was put in place for staff would also open up opportunities for people to work for council. How the Community hub could be developed was also an exciting prospect and looking the Cabinet Member was looking forward to seeing how it progressed.

The Leader invited the Chief Executive to say a few words on the report.

The Chief Executive advised Cabinet that given context of report it would be remiss of her not to provide comments on the report and seeing how it would be implemented in the forthcoming years.  The comments from Cabinet colleagues reflected that the report had taken into account comments from colleagues from all over the organisation. The Chief Executive was aware that one size would not fit all and as the new normal work evolved, the council would change and adapt to ensure the model was right for the organisation, and all of our colleagues that worked across Newport. The Chief Executive was appreciative of the hard work of colleagues and the project board for putting the report together which was not an easy task.  It also considered the wellbeing of staff to ensure that this model was fit for purpose for the Council.  The Chief Executive still welcomed views of the staff and mentioned that the report still had a little way to go and still a work in progress, especially in light of the new Omicron variant.  The Chief Executive thanked all staff for their hard work and support on this and commended the proposal for Cabinet.

Decision:

Cabinet agreed to the recommendations within the report and allow the Director of Transformation and Corporate Services to consult with relevant Trade Union representatives and staff on changes to terms and conditions of employment.