Deputy Leader – Minutes – 26 March 2020 (Urgt)

10 DEPLOYMENT OF STAFF IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS – The Director: Business Development submitted an urgent report seeking approval for a new policy on the deployment of staff in emergency situations.

The decision on the policy was urgent as it would formalise the arrangements for the deployment of staff to critical services as part of the council’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The council was changing the way it worked in order to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak so as to best support communities at this unprecedented time.

Where certain workplaces had been closed in response to Government advice, or workloads significantly diminished because of the Covid-19 outbreak, the council was deploying those staff affected to critical services such as the customer contact centre and to act as responders.

A draft policy regarding the deployment of staff had been developed to set out a clear framework for managing the process. It included issues such as changes to roles, locations, working hours and additional pay where appropriate. It also set out clear rules around recruitment, safeguarding and leave arrangements.

The policy had drawn on recent circulars from the National Joint Council for Local Government Services regarding the Covid-19 outbreak and combined all these principles into one overarching document.

Resolved – That the proposed new policy on the deployment of staff in emergency situations be approved.