Agenda and minutes

To consider the appointment of a Chairman to the Sub Committee for the Municipal Year 2011/12.

RESOLVED:  To appoint Councillor Mano Dharmarajah as Chairman of the Early Retirement Sub-Committee for the 2011/2012 Municipal Year.

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             the meeting notes at the start of the meeting at the item ‘Reserves’ that the Reserve Member is or will be attending as a reserve;

(iv)              if a Reserve Member whose intention to attend has been noted arrives after the commencement of the meeting, then that Reserve Member can only act as a Member from the start of the next item of business on the agenda after his/her arrival.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no Reserve Members in attendance at this meeting.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Committee, Sub Committee, Panel or Forum;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members.

To consider the appointment of a Vice-Chairman to the Sub Committee for the Municipal Year 2011/12.

RESOLVED:  To appoint Councillor Nizam Ismail as Vice?Chairman of the Early Retirement Sub-Committee for the 2011/2012 Municipal Year.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2009 be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents/organisations under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 17 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put, or petitions or deputations received.

To resolve that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business, on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence, or of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972:

RESOLVED:  That the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item for the reasons set out below:

Report of the Corporate Director Adults & Housing.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Corporate Director of Adults and Housing which detailed an application for early retirement under the Local Government Pension Scheme (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2007.

An officer explained that the Council had recently re-introduced a Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS), an element of which allowed employees leaving in accordance with the scheme who were 55 and over to request under Regulation 30 that their pension benefits be placed into payment when their employment ended.  The officer explained that officers had delegated authority to approve VSS applications where there was no strain on the pension fund but would need the Sub?Committee’s approval in cases where there was a strain.

To avoid the need for meetings of the Early Retirement Sub?Committee, officers had sought delegation from Councillors via an Urgent Non?Executive Action but the request had been refused.  As a result, the Early Retirement Sub?Committee would be required to consider all future VSS applications where there was a strain on the pension fund.

A Member stated that it was not a good use of the Sub?Committee’s time to be involved in such matters and that the delegation should have been granted.  The Chairman stated that he would look into the matter.

An officer introduced the report and outlined the business case for the early retirement of the post-holder.

RESOLVED:  That the Sub-Committee agree the early retirement of the post-holder under Regulation 30 of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Report of the Corporate Director Corporate Director of Childrens Services.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Corporate Director of Children’s Services which detailed an application for early retirement under the Local Government Pension Scheme (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2007.

An officer introduced the report and outlined the business case for the early retirement of the post-holder.

RESOLVED:  That the Sub-Committee agree the early retirement of the post-holder under Regulation 30 of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Report of the Corporate Director Adults & Housing.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Corporate Director of Adults and Housing which detailed an application for early retirement under the Local Government Pension Scheme (Benefits, Membership and Contributions) Regulations 2007.

An officer introduced the report and outlined the business case for the early retirement of the post-holder.

RESOLVED:  That the Sub-Committee agree the early retirement of the post-holder under Regulation 30 of the Local Government Pension Scheme.