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from 21 February 2022 the Government had removed legal restrictions in relation to Covid and moved to a new state of alert;

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per 100,00, Plymouth had 391 cases of Covid whereas the England average was 321 – there were currently 80 patients in local hospitals;

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there were subtle changes around council buildings including changes to social distancing to 1 metre which allowed for additional office capacity, the installation of C02 monitors as well as ventilation around buildings. From 1 April 2022 more staff were expecting to return to council offices on a flexible working basis;

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staff were being moved from Windsor House to Ballard House and Crownhill Court;

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investment had been agreed for the Council’s depots and Council House to make improvements, and the business case for Midland House was due to be considered by the Leader shortly;

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financial savings of £900k would be realised from 2024/25 with other venues being used for collaboration space on a cost effective basis; 

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employees had fed back through wellbeing surveys that they like the flexible working approach but some needed the support of an office; the direction of travel for working was supported by the peer review team;

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it was expected that flexible working would encourage the council’s green initiatives – staff due to travel into work were encouraged to promote green travel.

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what engagement had taken place with service users, specifically parents, carers and children, regarding Midland House? It was responded that engagement had taken place through the service and their knowledge of service users’ needs however further engagement would take place. There was confidence that the move would allow for improvements to be made. The Chair’s suggestion of including the Education and Children’s Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee in discussion relating to the move, specifically with regards to the impact upon parents, carers and children was noted;

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had consideration been given to encourage members of staff returning back to the office to use green methods of transport in light of the climate emergency?  It was responded that the Council had a green travel plan however it was acknowledged that changing behaviours could be complex but would be managed carefully;

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the Council’s accommodation strategy was envisaged pre-covid; were officers confident that office requirements were at the appropriate level, would anticipated savings be achieved, and how much had trade unions and staff been engaged with? It was responded that trade unions and staff had been consulted and it was expected that 60% of staff would work flexibly, 20% would work from home and 20% would work in the office; contingencies were in place to give flexibility;

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what options for catering facilities were being offered to staff working in the office? It was responded  that this had not yet been decided however there was an offer from Womble Bond Dickinson to use their facilities if required;

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the importance of understanding and encouraging informal conversations at work which previously would have taken place in a corridor; it was responded that this could be done via a flexible process and some officers were setting up coffee morning meet ups to help projects get off the line;

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had benchmarking taken place in relation to carbon emissions in terms of staff travelling to work? It was responded that the impact on carbon emissions from staff working at home or more flexibly had been considered however benchmarking would take place;

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that welfare facilities were appropriate for all staff, including those that worked in depots as currently that had proven difficult to achieve; it was responded that the business case for the depot and council house redevelopment had not yet been written however consideration for workers who did not work from an office or at home would be undertaken;

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had consultation taken place with residents with regards to collaboration spaces used by staff across different parts of the city including Devonport Market Hall, Devonport Guildhall and Oceans Gate as there was already issues with parking in local areas causing local communities stress? In response it was highlighted that a project manager would liaise with local communities and agreed that ward councillors would be consulted in order to allow a joined up approach. Staff Members would also be encouraged to use different forms of transport and not to park in residential areas;

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it was queried if work was being done to encourage and support staff and Councillors that opted to use their own device. It was considered that this would have cost saving benefits; it was responded that work would be done regarding bringing your own device to ensure it protected data the council held for its clients whilst trying to meet the needs of the user.

1.

note the Returning to Work Safely update;

2.

recommend that of the money set aside for the redevelopment of Council depots, that welfare facilities are specifically focused upon to ensure they were fit for purpose and of the same quality as welfare facilities which were provided for office staff;

3.

recommend that green travel plans to support staff in accessing council buildings/ collaborative spaces should be actively considered and encouraged and should be a model to other employers in the city;

4.

recommend that ward Councillors should be involved at an early stage of discussions when considering plans for council/ collaborative spaces around the city to ensure that detriment was not caused to local residents;

5.

a Return to Work Safely report is scheduled for the October 2022 Performance, Finance and Customer Services Overview and Scrutiny Panel detailing progress made, specifically regarding the staff side perspective.