Councillor Dana Carlin, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, approved a significant increase to the council's contract with Matrix for temporary agency workers. The meeting, which was confirmed to have been held, also noted the ongoing efforts to reduce the overall reliance on agency staff.

Contract Variation for Temporary Agency Workers

Councillor Dana Carlin approved a variation to the council's contract with Matrix, a provider of temporary agency workers. This variation increases the contract value by up to £32,504,910, bringing the total contract value to £162,000,000. This decision was made to ensure the council can continue to access short-term and interim staff, as well as support the permanent agency supply chain where necessary, for the remainder of the contract which is due to end on 18 July 2025.

The report presented to Councillor Carlin highlighted that the original contract value, agreed in November 2020, had been significantly impacted by unforeseen events. These included the increased use of agency staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for mass testing centres, alongside broader job market challenges and higher-than-expected annual pay increases. A previous variation of £20 million was agreed in October 2023 to maintain service continuity.

During the meeting, Councillor Carlin was assured that senior officers are actively working to reduce agency spend. Measures in place include a Corporate Recruitment Panel that approves all new agency worker placements, quarterly meetings with directors to scrutinise spend, and a focus on reducing the number of long-term and higher-paid agency workers. The council is also developing a new workforce strategy, due to be presented to Cabinet in July 2024, which aims to attract and retain permanent staff and grow internal talent through graduate and apprenticeship programmes.

The decision to vary the contract was made in accordance with the Council's Contract Standing Order (CSO) 10.02.1 (b) and Public Contract Regulations 2015. The report noted that this would be the final variation possible for this contract, and that directorates would need to significantly reduce their agency spend to avoid exceeding the new total value before the contract's expiry. The alternative of not extending the contract value was discounted due to the potential for increased costs and reduced corporate control, while re-procuring a new contract was deemed to cause unnecessary disruption.

The contract with Matrix is designed to comply with equality legislation, ensuring that the service provider does not unlawfully discriminate and takes steps to ensure this is observed by all staff employed under the agreement. This commitment aligns with the council's broader inclusion and diversity agenda.

The meeting also noted that there were no urgent business items, deputations, petitions, or questions raised. No declarations of interest were made by Councillor Carlin.