Public reports pack PDF 3 MB - Blaby District Council

(ii) Performance Against Budget
As part of the original 2012/13 establishment budget proposals it was agreed
to achieve savings of £80,000 in staffing costs during the course of the current
year. As at the end of September 2012, expenditure on salaries was
£3,946,423 against the profiled budget of £4,212,373, representing a gross
saving of £265,950 achieved largely through vacant posts, and shared
arrangements in respect of the Head of Policy, Performance & Partnerships.
However, it has been necessary, for operational reasons, to employ
temporary and agency staff in certain key areas and the cost of doing so as at
30 th September was £400,528. It is envisaged that the need for temporary or
casual staff will continue through to the end of the financial year, albeit at a
much reduced level since much of the requirement is in the first half of the
financial year. In net terms, the establishment budget is overspent by
£134,578 as at 30 th September 2012. Redundancy costs incurred during the
first half of the year, arising from restructuring, amount to £37,005, and this
sum will be charged against the Council’s balances in line with the existing
policy.
(iii) Revised Budget Position
Establishment costs for 2012/13, taking into account actual expenditure to
date and including additional one-off temporary posts mainly within Planning
and Benefits, are forecast to outturn at £8,268,982, an increase of £51,293
against the original budget of £8,217,689.
6.1.2 Staff Turnover
Turnover of staff within the establishment has increased over the last year.
Over the last 7 months (1 st April – 31 st October, 2012) 16 employees have left
the Council’s employment from established posts compared with 8 for the
same period last year. This represents a turnover rate for this period of 6.1%
compared to a turnover rate of 2.6% for the same period last year. In addition
to this there have been 6 redundancies and 3 TUPE transfers during the first
7 months of this financial year.
A proportion of days lost due to vacancies is recovered by employing
temporary or agency staff where required. At the end of September 2012 the
Council had incurred £400,528 in respect of agency/temporary staff costs
compared to £192,421 for the same period the previous year. The reason for
this significantly higher cost is that it has been necessary to employ additional
resource in Planning Services to support the Council through the
Lubbesthorpe planning application process, as well as additional assistance
within the Benefits team. These costs, and projected further expenditure for
the remainder of the financial year, have been incorporated into the 2012/13
Revised Budget and are being closely monitored.
6.1.3 Sickness Absence
The 2011/12 outturn for sickness shows that an average of 6.36 days were
lost per employee due to sickness compared to 7.04 days the previous year.
This is below the national average of 8.0 days per employee in local
government (source = Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
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