The Human Resources Committee of Tower Hamlets Council met on Monday 8 June 2026 to discuss the directorate's performance, senior recruitment, and employee relations. Key decisions included the extension of interim appointments for several senior roles and the endorsement of the Senior Leadership Recruitment plan.

Corporate Director's Update

David Joyce, Corporate Director of Housing and Regeneration, provided an overview of his department, which manages over 1,000 employees and 21,000 council homes. He highlighted the increasing demand on housing services, particularly for homelessness and housing options, and outlined the directorate's vision to ensure residents have access to safe and secure homes. The department is undertaking a significant restructure and investment in IT to improve efficiency and focus on homelessness prevention, with a projected return on investment of £28m-£55m. Mr Joyce also detailed the directorate's work in regeneration and development, private sector housing enforcement, and building safety, including efforts to tackle dangerous cladding on private sector buildings. He acknowledged underrepresentation of women and ethnic minority staff at senior levels and the need to recruit younger staff to better reflect the borough's demographics, with an Equalities Action Plan in place to address these issues.

Senior Recruitment Update

Ellen Clark, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, presented an update on senior officer recruitment. No permanent appointments had been made since the last meeting, but six interim appointments were agreed by the Chief Executive. The Committee endorsed the proposed Senior Leadership Recruitment plan, which aims to have all vacant positions filled or at least offered by December. The plan includes concurrent recruitment for Corporate Director of Resources and Director of Finance to test the market for the statutory Section 151 Officer position. The Committee also approved the extension of interim arrangements for Gillian Marston as interim Corporate Director of Communities until 30 November 2026, Bridget Cameron as Interim Director of Adult Social Care/Commissioning for a maximum of nine months from 10 May 2026, and Mark Norman as Interim Director of Governance until 30 June 2027.

Employee Relations Casework and Policy Quarterly Review

Ellen Clark also presented the Q4 report on employee relations casework. The report indicated an increase in formal cases, with 73 open cases at the end of March 2026, primarily grievances, disciplinary matters, and attendance concerns, predominantly within the Communities directorate. A three-year trend analysis showed a rise in cases, despite an increase in the workforce. The report highlighted the need for simplified HR policies and processes, improved management support, and increased capacity within HR services. Plans are underway to develop a Tower Management Programme, implement AI tools for case tracking, and conduct an independent review to close open cases. A hybrid working policy is also in development.

Human Resources Committee Terms of Reference for Municipal Year 2026/27

Justina Bridgeman, Democratic Services Officer, presented the proposed terms of reference, quorum, membership, and meeting dates for the Human Resources Committee for the upcoming municipal year. The Committee noted these details and agreed to hold all meetings at 6:30 pm in Committee Room 1.