The Disciplinary, Grievance and Dismissal Panel of Haringey Council was scheduled to consider a proposed redundancy of an Assistant Director. The meeting documents indicate that the panel was to review the financial situation of the council and the potential for cost reductions.

Assistant Director - Proposed Redundancy

The panel was scheduled to discuss a report concerning the proposed voluntary redundancy of an Assistant Director. This proposal was presented as an opportunity to reduce senior management costs and facilitate a restructure for a more streamlined and lower-cost management structure. The report indicated that accepting this voluntary redundancy would reduce the number of Assistant Director posts by one on an ongoing basis.

The report highlighted that in the short term, a Director would need to implement interim arrangements to manage the service until a full restructure could be brought forward. This was considered a reasonable and proportionate approach given the benefits of the proposal and the aim to reduce the future need for compulsory redundancies.

The panel was required to approve the severance costs in line with the Council's Constitution. The report stated that the redundancy costs would be met from the Corporate budget.

Legally, a voluntary redundancy is a form of dismissal and must be carried out in accordance with the Council's Organisational Change Policy. Employees approved for voluntary redundancy are entitled to compensation for the loss of employment in addition to a statutory redundancy payment. The Council's Pay Policy Statement, as required by the Localism Act 2011, outlines the approach to pay, particularly for senior staff. Under this policy, severance payments of £100,000 or more must be considered and approved by the appropriate Member Committee. The Disciplinary, Grievance and Dismissal Panel is assigned responsibility for this function.

The report indicated that a full Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) was not required due to the small impact on the workforce profile. Further details regarding the specific case were contained within an exempt appendix.

The report recommended that the panel approve the redundancy package in accordance with the Council's Pay Policy Statement. The reason provided for this decision was to reduce senior management costs and enable a restructure of senior management. An alternative option considered was not to accept the voluntary redundancy, which would have led to senior management costs being reduced through more compulsory redundancies. The report noted that the Committee had no discretion not to pay any of the required payments, as they are mandated by contract or statute.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at George Meehan House, 294 High Road, Wood Green, N22 8JZ. The councillors scheduled to attend were Councillor Peray Ahmet (Chair), Councillor Dawn Barnes, Councillor Dana Carlin, Councillor Cressida Johnson, and Councillor Reg Rice (Vice-Chair).

The agenda also included standard procedural items such as filming at meetings, apologies for absence, urgent business, and declarations of interest. A significant portion of the meeting, including item 8, was designated as exempt from public access due to containing information relating to individuals and labour relations matters.