The Chairman (Councillor Chapman BEM) welcomed the new Members (Councillors S Honeywood and Smith) to the Human Resources and Council Tax Committee.

The Committee is asked to note any apologies for absence and substitutions received from Members.

An apology for absence was submitted on behalf of Councillor Calver (Vice-Chairman) (with no substitution).

To confirm and sign as a correct record, the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee, held on Monday, 2 March 2026.

It was moved by Councillor Guglielmi, seconded by Councillor G Stephenson and:-

RESOLVED that the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee, held on Monday 2 March 2026, be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, Other Registerable Interests of Non-Registerable Interests, and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

Subject to providing two working days’ notice, a Member of the Committee may ask the Chairman of the Committee a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties which affect the Tendring District and which falls within the terms of reference of the Committee.

No Questions on Notice pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 38 had been submitted on this occasion.

The Committee will receive an oral update rearding the Council’s Career Track service.

The Committee received a verbal update on the work of Career Track and watched a video involving three previous apprentices who answered the following questions:-

-       What is your name, your apprenticeship and where is your work location?;

-       What is something you can do now, that you could not do when you first started?;

-       How has your apprenticeship help progress in your career?;

-       Who has supported you the most throughout your journey, and how have they helped?; and

-       What would you say to someone thinking about applying for an apprenticeship?

Councillor Guglielmi, on behalf of the Committee, told Officers of their continued appreciation to the Career Track team for their work and achievements.

The Committee noted the forgoing.

To provide Members of the Human Resources and Council Tax Committee with an update on current workforce statistics, including key trends in staffing levels, recruitment, retention, and diversity. This update supports the Committee’s ongoing oversight of workforce matters and reflects the Council’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement in its employment practices.

The Committee heard that the Officer report (A.1) provided Members with an overview of the Council’s workforce profile, which drew on current data and compared it with both local and national benchmarks. It formed part of the standard reporting cycle to the Human Resources and Council Tax Committee.

Members were told that, as at the 31 May 2026, the reporting date used for the data collation, Tendring District Council (TDC) employed 783 individuals, including casual workers and apprentices, which equated to 501.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles. That comprised of 427 full-time and 149 part-time staff, alongside 18 apprentices and 189 casual workers. The number of casual staff reflected seasonal appointments including Seafront Staff, Leisure Attendants and Theatre Staff.

Officers informed the Committee that recruitment and retention remained stable, with no significant impact currently being seen from the forthcoming Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The Council continued to attract strong levels of interest in vacancies, and recruitment and turnover trends were being closely monitored to ensure that any emerging workforce risks or changes in workforce trends could be identified and addressed at an early stage.

The Committee was made aware that, despite ongoing national recruitment challenges, as highlighted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) Labour Market Outlook, which had reported that 34% of public sector employers experienced hard-to-fill vacancies, the Council had continued to recruit successfully to a number of roles that had historically been difficult to fill. Recent appointments had been secured across key professional and operational areas, including accountancy, project management and leisure management, demonstrating the Council’s ability to attract and retain skilled employees in a competitive labour market.

Members noted that the Council’s workforce spanned a broad range, from ages 16 to 81. Whilst retention levels remained strong across the organisation, effective workforce planning remained important to ensure that skills, knowledge and experience were retained, succession risks were managed, and service resilience was maintained over the longer term.

The Committee was also told that there had been no change in the reported workforce diversity since the last reporting period. Currently, 1.3% of contracted staff identified as being from an ethnic minority background, compared to 3.8% within the wider Tendring population. Similarly, 13 employees had declared a disability, which was slightly higher than previously reported, although those figures might be under-represented due to the voluntary nature of disclosure.

The Council maintained a broadly balanced gender profile. Among full-time employees, 47.5% identified as male and 52.5% as female. At senior management level, gender representation was currently evenly balanced, with 50% of posts held by men and 50% by women, compared with 55.1% male and 44.9% female when previously reported.

As part of its commitment to meeting its equality obligations and maintaining an inclusive workplace, the Council was exploring a partnership arrangement with Colchester City Council and Braintree District Council to share a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead Officer. Subject to agreement, the shared resource would provide additional capacity and specialist expertise to support the Council’s Equality Ambassador  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To update Members of the Human Resources and Council Tax Committee on the implications of the Employment Rights Act 2025 for the Council’s employment policies, procedures and working practices. The report outlines the action being taken to maintain compliance with current and forthcoming employment legislation and to support consistent, fair and effective people management across the Council.

The Committee heard that the Employments Rights Act 2025 had received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 and that it had introduced a significant programme of employment law reform, with provisions being implemented in phases during 2026 and 2027.

Members were told that, in response, the Council had undertaken a comprehensive compliance audit of its employment policies, procedures and working practices. That had ensured the current requirements were reflected, areas that had required further action had been identified and preparations were in place for forthcoming legislative changes where implementation dates, regulations or statutory guidance were still awaited.

Officers informed the Committee that the audit had resulted in a prioritised action plan to manage compliance risk and support timely policy review. A number of core employment policies had already been updated to address identified gaps, reflect changes now in force, and prepare for further reforms expected in October 2026, January 2027 and later during 2027.

The Committee was made aware that the key implementation dates for the phased introduction of the Employment Rights Act 2025 were summarised below, based on the Government’s published implementation timeline. Future implementation dates remained subject to commencement regulations, consultation and/or further statutory guidance where applicable.

6 April 2026

• Collective redundancy protective award – doubling the maximum period of protective award from 90 days to 180 days;
• Day 1 Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave;
• Strengthened protection for workers who ‘blow the whistle’ on sexual harassment;
• Bereaved Partners’ Paternity Leave – enabling bereaved fathers and partners to take up to 52 weeks’ leave if the mother or primary adopter died within the first year of the child’s life;
• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) – removing the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) and waiting period; and
• Action plans on gender equality, with employers with 250 or more employees encouraged to publish steps being taken to reduce the gender pay gap and support employees experiencing menopause.

7 April 2026

• The establishment of the Fair Work Agency.

August 2026 (subject to commencement and/or further statutory guidance)

• Electronic and workplace balloting for Statutory Trade Union Ballots.

October 2026 (subject to commencement and/or further statutory guidance)

• The duty to inform workers of the right to join a Trade Union;
• Requiring employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees;
• Introducing employer obligations in relation to third-party harassment; and
• Employment tribunal time limits.

January 2027 (subject to commencement and/or further statutory guidance)

• Reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months for dismissals from 1 January 2027, alongside changes to compensatory awards for successful unfair dismissal claims, including removal of the statutory cap. Compensation would continue to be assessed by employment tribunals by reference to actual and projected losses evidenced by the claimant.

During 2027 (subject to commencement and/or further statutory guidance)

• Mandatory gender equality action plans and menopause action plans, following the voluntary action plan arrangements introduced from April 2026;
• Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers;
• Commencement of regulations setting out specific steps  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.