Agenda

Venue: Online Meeting via Microsoft Teams

Contact: Michael Popham - Democratic Services Manager  Email: michael.popham@reading.gov.uk

Link: Link to observe meeting

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Mayor's Announcements

To receive Mayor’s Announcements.

2.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations of interest.

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 238 KB

The Mayor to sign the Minutes of the proceedings of the previous Council Meeting.

4.

Petitions

To receive petitions in accordance with Standing Order 8.

5.

Questions from Members of the Public pdf icon PDF 77 KB

Questions in accordance with Standing Order 9.

6.

Questions from Councillors

Questions in accordance with Standing Order 10.

Reports and Recommendations from Committees

7.

Investing in Reading's Future: Reading Borough Council's Corporate Plan 2021-22 pdf icon PDF 184 KB

Report by Chief Executive

Additional documents:

8.

Councillors' Allowances Scheme 2020/21 - 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 140 KB

Report by Executive Director of Resources

Additional documents:

9.

Pay Policy Statement 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 133 KB

Report by Executive Director of Resources

Additional documents:

Recommendation from Personnel Committee

9a

Designation of Section 151 Officer and Changes to Article 12 of the Constitution pdf icon PDF 109 KB

Report by Assistant Director of Legal & Democratic Services

Additional documents:

Motions

10.

Security Staff at the Royal Berkshire Hospital

Councillor Hoskin to move:

 

This Council notes:

-          That security staff perform vital frontline tasks to protect patients and staff at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and are subject to extra pressures and dangers at this time owing to the pandemic.

-          That there is ongoing industrial strike action by Royal Berkshire Hospital’s security guards, who are employed by Kingdom Security in an outsourced arrangement by the NHS hospital trust at an annual cost of over £750,000.

-          That the dispute is about the terms and conditions of these staff. The current remuneration is £9.12 (£10.18 for supervisors) an hour compared to far higher rates of pay for security guards on other less dangerous local sites.

-          That there are no night pay or weekend rates and, for non-TUPE’d staff, there is no sick pay. Kingdom Security has an annual turnover of over £100 million.

-          That the number of security guards employed at the hospital has been cut from 31 in 2008 to 21 in 2021, equating to a ratio of 1,000 staff, 500 outpatients and 160 in-patients for one security officer per day. This has resulted in increased and more intense workloads.

-          That the contract with Kingdom Security is scheduled to end later this year.

-          That Kingdom Security has had to be pressurised into accepting any kind of mediation, and that ACAS is now involved.

-          That during the dispute, the use of agency security staff at a premium rate are being used as a temporary measure.

 

This Council believes that:

-          The general public, staff and patients expect that all frontline workers at our local hospital should be paid fairly for the difficult work they are doing, particularly at this time.

-          The demand for £12 per hour, and £13 per hour for supervisors, is justified and equates to band 3 on the NHS pay scale.

-          It is unethical to contract out to companies where the terms and conditions are so poor and not properly protected.

-          The use of temporary and expensive agency staff is not in itself a solution and compromises the security of staff and patients.

 

Consequently, this Council resolves to:

-          Support the cause of the Security Guards and requests all the parties to arrive at a just solution in order to end the dispute.

-          Welcome the involvement of ACAS in seeking to bring the parties together to end the dispute.

-          Request that the Leader of the Council write to the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust calling on the Trust to urgently review its contracting arrangements to ensure that future contracts are ethical, to consider bringing the security staffing contract in-house when possible, and to ask the Trust to use its influence to encourage Kingdom Security to resolve the dispute.

-          Request that the Leader of the Council write to Kingdom Security urging it to consider the level of danger and risk that its staff are taking in their duties, and to adjust  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.