Agenda item

The Council considered a joint report of the Corporate Director of Resources and Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services which sought approval for a final proposal to be made in relation to teaching assistant terms and conditions of employment with a view to ending the employment dispute (for copy see file of Minutes).

The Corporate Director of Resources apologised for the late circulation of the report and explained the reasons for this.  He further explained that should the report be approved, then the recognised Trade Unions would ballot their members on the offer.

The Corporate Director of Resources informed Council that the report being considered was as a result of thorough work and lengthy negotiations.  He added that the process although not easy, had been greatly assisted by the input of staff and Head Teachers and he passed on his sincere thanks to those who had been involved in the process for their hard work.

In moving the report Councillor J Brown, Portfolio Holder for Social Inclusion thanked all those who had been involved in the review process, including recognised Trade Unions, Teaching Assistants, County Council staff and Head Teachers.  She highlighted that councillors were not being asked to revise the offer or to enter into formal negotiations. The work which had been carried out to date was not to be discredited and she reiterated that 83% of the workforce were already working to those Terms and Conditions proposed.

She further reported that Durham County Council was the first local authority to enable and establish a Teaching Assistant Career Progression Board and training programme for teaching assistants to support them in their roles and to provide development for future career opportunities.

In conclusion Councillor J Brown informed Council that members were urged to agree the revised proposals to allow recognised Trade Unions to ballot their members.

In seconding the report Councillor O Gunn, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People’s Services informed Council that many options had been discussed and explored. Any issues brought to the table had been addressed and was evident in the revised proposal to introduce a Career Progression Board. This was something which Teaching Assistants had been asking for, for many years. She went on to clarify that it was not the role of Teaching Assistants to teach.

Speaking from first-hand experience Councillor O Gunn acknowledged the importance of Teaching Assistants and the role they have within school. She did however note that the council must not lose sight of how we had arrived here.

Councillor O Temple Moved the following amendment to the Motion, Seconded by Councillor A Hopgood.

This council refers this report and the matter contained within it to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board of this Council for consideration.

Councillor O Temple acknowledged that progress had been made although negotiations were not quite there yet. He informed Council that Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Management Board would be able to take an in-depth look at the revised proposals and provide an analytical report back to Council. He added that he was unable to change his mind based on last minute proposals and urged members to agree to refer the issue to Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Management Board.

Councillor R Crute, Chair of Overview and Scrutiny informed Council that it would not be appropriate to refer this matter to scrutiny at this stage in the process and with such was against the proposed amendment.

Councillor A Watson added that he did not think that the council were too far away from an agreeable outcome. He added however that the revised proposal was still likely to be refused by Teaching Assistants, with over 20% of the workforce still being significantly affected. Furthermore he queried how the progression board would mitigate the impact on those members of staff.

In addition, there was still an issue relating to Teaching Assistants being expected to teach whole classes and with such requested that the decision be deferred due to the need for ongoing discussions in an attempt to avoid further distress and suffering to those affected.

Councillor Maddison raised a query regarding career progression and whether the potential increase in some salaries would need to managed through the school budgets. She further noted that due to the late receipt of the report there was a lack of detail provided behind the proposals.

The Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services provided a summary of the expectations of the Teaching Assistants role under each Grade and clarified the position regarding teaching, noting that although providing a valuable role, it was not part of their role to teach. It was also noted that Higher Level Teaching Assistants were encouraged to pursue full teaching qualifications where possible.

Councillor A Hopgood informed the Council of the role scrutiny had in this and that the council should therefore be allowing recommendations to be scrutinised.

In accordance with Standing Order 16.4 Councillor J Shuttleworth sought a named vote on the amendment.  The requirements were met.

A named vote was taken and the Amendment was Lost.

For

Councillors B Avery, A Bell, J Blakey, D Brown, L Brown, I Cochrane, G Darkes, S Durham, D Freeman, A Gardner, N Grayson, K Hawley, T  Henderson, D Hicks, A Hopgood, P Howell, P Jopling, K Liddell, L Maddison, C Martin, E Mavin, S McDonnell, M McGaun, J Nicholson, R Ormerod, A Reed, S Robinson, J Rowlandson, A Savory, P Sexton, J Shuttleworth, M Simmons, A Simpson, O Temple, K Thompson, A Watson, M Wilkes, A Willis and S Zair.

Against

Councillors E Adam, A Batey, D Bell, E Bell, J Bell, H Bennett, G Bleasdale, D Boyes, P Brookes, J Brown, C Carr, J Carr, J Chaplow, J Clare, J Clark, M Clarke, J Considine, K Corrigan, R Crute, M Davinson, S Dunn, O Gunn, C Hampson, S Henig, K Hopper, L Hovvels, S Iveson, I Jewell, O Johnson, B Kellett, L Kennedy, A Laing, J Lethbridge, J Maitland, R Manchester, C Marshall, L Marshall, M McKeon, I McLean, O Milburn, A Napier, J Nicholson, C Potts, L Pounder, S Quinn, T Smith, B Stephens, J Stephenson, P Taylor, F Tinsley, C Wilson, M Wilson, D Wood and R Yorke.

In accordance with Standing Order 16.4 Councillor J Shuttleworth sought a named vote.  The requirements were met.

A named vote on the recommendations in the report was taken and the Motion was Carried.

For

Councillors E Adam, A Batey, D Bell, E Bell, J Bell, H Bennett, G Bleasdale, D Boyes, P Brookes, J Brown, C Carr, J Carr, J Chaplow, J Clare, J Clark, M Clarke, J Considine, K Corrigan, R Crute, M Davinson, S Dunn, O Gunn, C Hampson, S Henig, K Hopper, L Hovvels, S Iveson, I Jewell, O Johnson, B Kellett, L Kennedy, A Laing, J Lethbridge, J Maitland, R Manchester, C Marshall, L Marshall, M McKeon, I McLean, O Milburn, A Napier, J Nicholson, C Potts, L Pounder, S Quinn, T Smith, B Stephens, J Stephenson, P Taylor, F Tinsley, C Wilson, M Wilson, D Wood and R Yorke.

Against

Councillors B Avery, A Bell, J Blakey, D Brown, L Brown, I Cochrane, G Darkes, S Durham, D Freeman, A Gardner, N Grayson, K Hawley, T  Henderson, D Hicks, A Hopgood, P Howell, P Jopling, K Liddell, L Maddison, C Martin, E Mavin, S McDonnell, M McGaun, J Nicholson, R Ormerod, A Reed, S Robinson, J Rowlandson, A Savory, P Sexton, J Shuttleworth, M Simmons, A Simpson, O Temple, K Thompson, A Watson, A Willis and S Zair.

Abstain

Councillor M Wilkes.

Resolved:

Thatthe Council authorise the Corporate Director of Resources to confirm and communicate the offer agreed by Council on 21 June 2017 with the additional matters set out in paragraph 10.