Staff hearings to change after waste service probe

Brighton & Hove City Council plans to remove councillors from employment hearings

Brighton & Hove City councillors will be removed from employment appeal hearings if proposed changes are agreed next week.

It follows an independent report that found the authority's waste service provider, Cityclean, was "mired in racism, sexism and homophobia".

Aileen McColgan KC recommended an end to "member appeals" panels after finding councillors had reinstated members of the GMB union.

A council report on the plan said the change would provide "greater clarity of roles between members and officers of the council".

Under the move, which is set to be decided by senior councillors on 25 April, councillors would still be part of the staff disciplinary appeals process for chief officers.

The GMB members reinstated by councillors had been sacked for gross incompetence on more than one occasion, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Currently all dismissal and dispute appeals are heard by a personnel appeals panel of three elected councillors.

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The council report said it was the role of councillors to "set the strategic direction and policy framework for the council".

It added: "This will include ensuring the right policy framework is in place to manage employment issues."

Since Ms McColgan’s report was published in October, trade unions have asked that councillors continue to sit on appeal panels to allow for independent oversight of employment processes.