Derby political news: Concerns over 'shocking' council staff sickness rates

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

Action is being taken to try and reduce the number of days each year Derby City Council staff are absent from work.

Councillors across the city have said they are concerned about recent information which states that each council employee averaged just over 13 days' absent in 2022-23.

This is a slight increase from the 12.84 figure recorded the previous year (2021-22).

Derby City Council bosses said Covid was a “contributing factor” to the absence rates increasing.

The 2022-23 position without Covid related absences included would be 11.81 days lost.

Another report said other reasons for staff absence include stress, anxiety and musculoskeletal issues.

A senior officer told a recent meeting the council’s staff absence figures were “higher than most of our comparative authorities” which has led the council to conduct a “deep dive analysis” on the matter.

She said a “sickness management working group” was being set up by the council to look at ways at improving the absent rates moving forward.

Another report said the council has changed how colleagues report their sickness absence if they are unwell and are unable to attend work.

Since June 1 this year, colleagues now ring their manager if they are unwell, rather than ringing an externally hosted absence reporting line.

It states: “We anticipate that this early contact with a line manager when a colleague is unwell will help to underpin the importance of line managers engaging with colleagues at the earliest stage of their absence. Early conversations, and continuing dialogue if a colleague remains absent due to ill health, are important factors in supporting and managing colleague attendance.”

At a recent cabinet meeting, former Conservative council leader Chris Poulter urged the new Labour administration to look into the council’s absent rates.

He said: “One new member of the council was astonished by the levels of sickness that we carry at the moment. He works in local industry and the sickness levels are certainly different there. Obviously, various administrations have tried to tackle the issue but it is certainly at least stagnant if not getting worse.”

Councillor Poulter was responding to new Oakwood councillor Jamie Mulhall who, at an executive scrutiny meeting on June 13, said: “The days lost to sickness – it is averaging just short of 12 (not including Covid) which is quite shocking to me. That’s an astronomical figure really.”

The cabinet meeting also saw the council’s chief executive Paul Simpson praise council staff for their efforts.

He said: “The people I want to thank more than anybody are all the council staff for achieving the results in this (performance) report under incredibly challenging circumstances. It is difficult working in local Government right here right now.  I can be safe to say as the chief executive it is probably the most difficult time in my career and I’ve been in local Government for the best part of 30 years.”

A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: “We take the health and well-being of our colleagues very seriously and managers continue to work with colleagues in support of this. During the last financial year, we saw an increase in absence due to ill health with Covid-19 being a contributing factor.

“The working group will review the absence data in more detail and recommend a series of actions to support the council’s continued management of colleagues’ health and well-being.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

The councillor who was previously in charge of Derby’s public waste services has warned new council leaders to be mindful of potential traffic mayhem should they relax the Raynesway tip booking system.

Conservative councillor Jerry Pearce said he has concerns over plans by the new Labour administration to widen accessibility to the Alvaston waste facility - as was revealed by new cabinet member for communities and Streetpride Hardyal Dhindsa.

Last week Councillor Dhindsa said council officers were being tasked to explore how the Raynesway tip can be made more accessible.

Currently, people can only use the site if they make a booking appointment in advance.

Cllr Dhindsa said the booking system will remain but he hoped to create “open sessions” which will allow for the service to be used by more people without the need to book an appointment slot - a move which is intended to reduce fly-tipping on the streets.

The newly-appointed cabinet member said: “I have already started discussions with the officers to see how we can provide a mixed offering (booking system and open sessions). People should have the opportunity to go to the tip when they need to when it is open. I have set the officers a task and I hope they will come forward with ideas on how it could work and how we could make that happen.”

But Cllr Pearce, now serving as the shadow cabinet member for communities and Streetpride, said he didn’t believe changes would solve fly-tipping issues.

The Chaddesden East councillor also warned that traffic queues previously seen at Raynesway had a “detrimental effect” on the site.

He said: “We would have liked to have seen improvements to the booking system to iron out issues where a small number of residents had problems getting an appointment, that should have been the priority. We have to keep in mind that the queues that were previously seen at Raynesway, prior to the booking system, had a detrimental effect on people choosing to go to this facility but also was negatively impacting local businesses.

“We don’t think there is a direct correlation between not getting an appointment at Raynesway and fly-tipping. If someone is prepared to dispose of their rubbish in this irresponsible way, then they’re going to do it regardless of whether they can get an appointment or not”.

But Labour’s plans do have some backing.

New Reform Derby group leader Tim Prosser said improving accessibility to the tip was needed.

However, he called for the council to explore creating new smaller sites to help communities.

Cllr Prosser said: “I absolutely want more open access.  It’s a vital service we’ve all paid for and restricting access makes residents’ lives much more difficult. Currently residents often travel outside of the city to dispose of their waste.

“I do acknowledge that access to the facility is troublesome but a second site would also be a prudent way to resolve the situation. Many smaller councils successfully operate multiple smaller sites that are not troublesome or expensive and serve their communities better.”

And Liberal Democrats leader Ajit Atwal also welcomed the plans.

He said: “I’m happy to relax it a bit. Anything that reduces fly-tipping is always a big plus. There’s a lot of people who can’t access the tip.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

Derby City Council’s new Labour administration has insisted it will deliver a pledge to provide free bulky waste collections across the city despite the authority’s financial constraints.

Currently the Derby taxpayer has to fork out at least £34 if they want the council to collect bulky items such as furniture and sofas from their doorstep.

The more items for collection, the more they have to pay.

But as a pledge to provide a cleaner Derby and reduce fly-tipping on the streets, the city’s Labour group made a manifesto pledge to offer the service free of charge if they won power.

The pledge reads: “Cleaning up our communities is our priority. We will offer a free bulky waste collection service, introducing mattress recycling and other large recycling and reuse collection schemes with increased penalties for fly-tippers.”

Last month saw Labour take control of Derby City Council via a minority leadership from the Conservatives after the local elections saw them become the biggest political party in the city.

But Labour takes over at a time when the council, and other authorities across the UK, are struggling financially. Earlier this week Labour leader Baggy Shanker delivered a public message saying “the council’s reserves, our own savings, are seriously depleted because of the extra money we had to find last year (to deliver a balanced budget)”.

Councillor Shanker said it was his group’s task to build our reserves “back up” and work towards “managing our budget without depending on [the reserves]”. 

This effectively means raising cash in the bank - but he also stated that “the prospects for local authority funding remain uncertain”.

Currently the council charges residents if they want bulky waste to be delivered.

According to its website, collecting one to three items costs £34.91, four items costs £41.06, five items £46.68 and six items - the maximum number - comes in at £52.30.

In Nottingham, “collections cost £20 for up to six household items, such as a sofa, bed, mattress, wardrobe, chair and table”.

But Labour insists at some point, “as soon as possible”, the charges to Derby residents for bulky waste collections will be thrown in the bin.

Cllr Shanker has appointed Cllr Hardyal Dhindsa as cabinet member for waste services.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Dhindsa was asked if the council could afford a free scheme.

He replied: “Can we afford not to do it? That is the question we have to ask ourselves.

“In days gone by, businesses had a responsibility to remove bulky waste and furniture. That responsibility has been removed from them.

“There are many who can afford the charges but there are others who find it expensive. We’ve got to try and encourage people to use it. We don’t want people to be over-reliant on it but we need to help people to move things out of the way.

“The service won’t be available all the time – it will be at certain times but it will help people who have things that are difficult to remove. But at the same time, we want them to use the facilities that do exist.

“The people of Derby have voted us in and our manifesto pledges are what they expect us to achieve. I don’t want to give a time but I’ve asked for it to happen as soon as possible.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

The way Derby City Council’s headquarters building is used must change in a post-pandemic world, the authority’s top boss has said, after a recent debate on how much it is used by staff.

The city council’s chief executive Paul Simpson made a public statement about the future of the Corporation Street building following a discussion about its “emptiness”.

At an executive scrutiny board meeting this week, councillors expressed their shock over how “empty” the building had been in recent weeks and called for efforts to bring back its staff into the building at a time when many are working from home or hybrid working.

The conversation came about while discussing a plan for the authority to rent out office space at the council house to other public sector organisations as a way of bringing in cash for the council’s bank accounts.

The plan edged closer to becoming reality after a move to explore it further was approved at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday - the first one held since the new Labour administration took control of the council as a minority leadership.

The cabinet meeting saw the council’s chief executive Paul Simpson state his thoughts on the matter and said efforts were being made to improve the working conditions of all of its thousands of staff - no matter where they are working.

Mr Simpson said: “I think it is important to recognise the way the council house was originally designed would not necessarily fit with the way people now work in a post-pandemic world. I think that’s an important consideration – so it will require some changes to the way in which the building was originally envisaged.

“Prior to the pandemic, the council house was only ever 75 per cent occupied, so there was always surplus capacity within the building to facilitate greater use of the building. The space that has been forward with the number of desks would have fit within the surplus capacity that existed pre-pandemic.

“I’m conscious this is a public meeting and the press are here. I’ve been very clear that I do not want the focus to just be on this building (council house). As important as it is, I would not want to give the impression that the staff who don’t work in this building are not important. Just to reassure the cabinet and members of staff that work for this organisation, it isn’t just about this building and we are looking at improving the working conditions wherever we can for all our staff, particularly at places like Stores Road.”

The new Labour administration approved supporting the first phase of the Council House Optimisation Strategy and delegated council bosses to “agree the terms of and enter into all necessary legal agreements with third parties to facilitate moves into the council house”.

Labour leader Baggy Shanker was asked by new Conservative leader Steve Hassall at the meeting if the project was about “service delivery or financial gain”. Cllr Shanker responded: “This cabinet has said on a number of occasions that everything we do will be putting the people of Derby first. Having this building utilised much more than it is now, whether that’s council staff or staff from other public sector organisations, working collaboratively in such a good facility will help provide better services for our city and that will deliver better outcomes.”

Conservative Councillor Chris Poulter warned council leaders to be careful in handling the project moving forward. He said: “It’s fine to make joint partnerships with partners and bring them into the council house. But what a crazy situation it would be if we brought people from the health department into the council house with the people they need to work with from the council not actually in the council house.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

Derby citizens have a right to be concerned over how “empty” the city centre’s council house has been in recent weeks, a new councillor has warned, as many staff continue to work from home.

Councillors have expressed their surprise over how quiet the council house has become in recent times and spoke out on the matter when discussing the future of Derby City Council’s headquarters at a meeting on Tuesday.

The authority’s new executive scrutiny board met for the first time and discussed items on the agenda for Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.

One of the items touched on the future of the council house building with a plan in place to seek public sector organisations to rent out the venue as office space - a move to generate cash for the council and get more people working in the city centre again.

The idea comes at a time when council officers and cabinet members are spending less time at the building for work purposes, as they are working from home or hybrid working.

Earlier this year the city council announced changes to the opening hours of the council house and said it would move to a technology self-service model.

From April the council house’s reception has been open from 9am until 1pm, with the opening times of some phone lines also changing to 9am until 1pm.

The announcement said: “Citizens calling us will be able to get answers to questions 24/7 from our new digital chatbot or be directed to the Derby City Council website”.

And councillors said the changes have led to the building becoming “empty”.

The meeting heard calls to get the council’s own officers back into the building.

New Oakwood and Conservative councillor Jamie Mulhall said: “Before we start divvying up the floor and letting out to a third party, I think we need to make a conservative effort to try and get people back into the office who work for the council for the majority of the working week. I’m not saying we go back to a draconian five days in the office a week – that’s not the world we live in. But every time I’ve been in this building there’s nobody here. It’s empty.

“We’re getting paid by the public here. I think if they could see how very few people there are here, they would be pretty concerned.”

Labour councillor Sara Bolton said she was shocked to see how quiet the building was compared to years previously. She said: “I can recall when I was on the council previously people could not get desks (at the council house). They were sitting in the quiet areas because all the desks were full.

“I take on board the pandemic has had repercussions on everyone’s way of working but this is a public building. Some of my constituents come in here and they are amazed. They can’t speak to anyone face to face. You have to get them on the phone or a Zoom call.”

However, Councillors Lucy Care (Liberal Democrat) and Cecile Wright (Labour) both made the point that the council’s productivity could be higher if flexible working was allowed to continue.

But Cllr Wright was uneasy about the idea of letting out the council house to other companies.

She said: “In terms of renting out, I think we should give some consideration to the image that this will create for the public.

“People will see this building and see it has a symbolic meaning - the seat of our democracy. So I think we need to be very careful about the extent we go with sub-letting. I see the financial aspect but I think there should be other considerations.”

But Independent councillor Phillip Ingall told the meeting it was not up to councillors to decide where and when officers should work.

He said: “We are talking about getting people back into the office, that is something the head of the service Paul Simpson (the council’s chief executive) should be deciding. (It is) not for us as elected members to decide how staff work at this building. We can’t influence that.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

Public sector organisations are being encouraged to move to Derby’s council house as Derby City Council looks to make much-needed revenue.

The city council wants to maximise the full potential of its council house headquarters on Corporation Street as it seeks to bring in a six-figure income over the coming financial year.

According to a new council report, the first phase of the project is to “reconfigure the first-floor of the council house to create a working environment which supports hybrid-working and allows spare desk capacity to be made available for rental by partner organisations”.

The report said that currently the council house is an “underutilised asset” with reduced desk occupancy post pandemic.

It added there is “market interest” in renting space in the council house which can offer organisations “Grade A office space” and boasts excellent “green” credentials.

More council officers and cabinet members are currently working from home more often which is freeing up space at the council house, which the authority is looking to fill up.

By having more organisations work at the building, it is hoped this will support the council’s wider regeneration plan to bring more office workers into the city centre and will allow for better partnership working.

The report added: “In addition, the programme team have agreed with cabinet that the number of individual cabinet member offices be reduced, recognising that councillors have also adopted hybrid-working and that there is no longer a requirement for individual offices. The released cabinet member offices can now be used either as meeting rooms or potentially as executive offices, if required by future licensees.”

The council’s approved budget for this financial year (2023 to 2024) placed a pressure of achieving a target of making £140,000 of rental income (not including housing).

The council said this project is a way of reaching the target and wants to potentially exceed it.

Earlier this year the council reported it was anticipating a very difficult year ahead financially.

The then-Conservative administration said the authority was facing a “perfect storm” with pressures arising due to the cost of living crisis and the rise of inflation.

The council house project is scheduled to be discussed when Derby’s new Labour-led administration has its first cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The new cabinet is set to express support to the scheme and is recommended to “delegate authority….. to agree the terms of and enter into all necessary legal agreements with third parties to facilitate moves into the council house in line with phase one”.

The Derby City Council cabinet meeting will be available to watch live on the council’s YouTube channel.

It is scheduled to start at 4pm.

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

Plans to build new flats next to a Derby pharmacy have been thrown out due to fears they would be too small to live in.

Derby City Council refused a planning application last year submitted by Raj Suddhi to build an apartment building consisting of three flats on Bromley Street off Kedleston Road.

The application site is an area of land where vehicles park next to the adjacent Markeaton Pharmacy facing Kedleston Road.

The applicant said the building was an opportunity to “provide valuable accommodation in a highly sustainable location, adjacent local amenities, within easy walking distance close to the city centre and on the regular bus route of Kedleston Road”.

It was the applicant’s view that “there is sufficient space surrounding the building to provide secure bin storage, and construct the flats without imposing upon the surrounding properties”.

But Derby City Council disagreed and in September last year refused to grant permission for the proposed building.

Following 27 objections, the local authority said the development would be out of keeping for the area and said the size of the flats proposed was below regulated standards.

Months later the applicant decided to formally appeal the council’s decision to refuse – meaning the Government agency, the Planning Inspectorate – would make the final call.

In the appeal it was claimed the proposed building was “commensurate with its wider surroundings” and was “carefully designed to respect the character and appearance of its predominantly Edwardian-built context”.

However, the Planning Inspectorate in this case sided with the council’s decision to refuse planning permission.

Samuel Watson, an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State, dismissed the appeal - therefore the plans cannot go ahead.

Mr Watson’s conclusion was that the proposal “would be further incongruous with its surroundings by way of the small scale of the plot which would jar with the pattern of long, albeit narrow, plots in this area”.

He said the overall height of the building would exceed that of the neighbouring property and terrace.

It states: “The proposal would result in harm to the character and appearance of the surrounding area as a result of its siting and design.”

The Planning Inspectorate also raised concerns about people’s living environment should the three new flats be built – describing them as being of a “poor standard”.

He added: “Although some storage space has been shown on the plans, the layout of furniture can only be considered indicative, and I cannot be certain that there is sufficient space for the storage of personal belongings, clothing or larger items such as a vacuum cleaner or drying rack.

“It is clear that even with the limited storage space shown on the plans the rooms would be tight spaces and this would only be made worse in the likely event that future occupiers provide additional wardrobes or other storage solutions. I find it likely, therefore, that future occupiers would find the flats cramped and that it would be difficult for them to carry out their daily needs comfortably. In this regard the proposal would provide a poor standard of living accommodation detrimental to the living conditions of future occupiers.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Eddie Bisknell

The major regeneration of a stately home near Derby has hit a significant hurdle, with a planned new cafe dubbed “naff” and an “abomination” by councillors.

Regeneration plans for Elvaston Castle have been in the works for years but the first £35million phase of the overall scheme is now coming forward, including a planned new cafe.

The rest of the first phase also includes a new entry road and a visitor car park, but they were not discussed at a South Derbyshire District Council meeting this week.

The meeting focused on the regeneration and reuse of historic buildings on-site as a range of shops - including a 150-cover cafe.

A short section of an historic wall would also be removed to make way for site access.

The application was filed by Derbyshire County Council, which will also rule on various other planning applications relating to the site, though the district council leads on conservation, including this application relating to the impact on listed buildings.

District councillors took aim at the planned new cafe, which had previously triggered an objection from heritage experts Historic England due to the perceived impact on the nationally-significant Elvaston grounds.

Councillor Dan Corbin said: “I wholeheartedly support the development of the buildings being brought back into use, especially if they are on the risk register.

“What people locally will have an issue with is the cafe.

“I am not against the addition of the cafe but if we are going to put an extension up to an historic building I would have thought we would have thought of something more architecturally beautiful than this.

“It is a beautiful old site that needs protecting and I am shocked at this development, which lacks imagination.”

Cllr Amy Wheelton said: “The buildings are stunning and it is great that they are being brought back but the cafe is an abomination.

“The ancient wall, around 100m in length… there is no need to knock that down. It is an abomination and the only reason it is being knocked down is to get through to the cafe.

“These are the most stunning grounds I have ever seen and we need to bring the buildings back into use, but the cafe is an abomination and it is disgraceful to take down the wall.

“Just because you want to drive a digger through it doesn’t mean we destroy our heritage.

“We don’t destroy our heritage to build something, we protect it.”

Council officers clarified that the whole section of the wall would not be removed, but instead a section of it.

Jon Millhouse, an agent acting on behalf of the county council, said there are 19 listed buildings in the Elvaston grounds, many of which are “underused and in need of care”.

He said the council was committed to investing in the scheme and providing “viable and sustainable” uses for the disused buildings.

Mr Millhouse said a number of the buildings in question are on the national “at risk” register and that the best way to protect them was to bring them back into viable use.

The overall scheme was aimed at providing a “long-term viable future for Elvaston” through conservation, protection, employment and education, he said.

Cllr Corbin said: “I can’t put it any other way but the cafe design is naff.

“I have been to a lot of old buildings and castles and I am supportive of initiatives of developments that marry the old with the new.”

Cllr Wheelton said the cafe design was too overbearing and would damage the character and appearance of the conservation area - and councillors consequently rejected the listed building application.

Council officers had previously written about the listed building plans, saying: “As is often the case with adaptation to historic buildings, there is a compromise required to provide facilities for new users, especially in a setting which would have originally had little or no requirement to manage such large numbers of visitors. Car parking and the associated change to the natural landscape is the most contentious aspect of many applications.

“The rationale is to improve the visitor experience, guide visitors to the commercial aspects of the site, and direct visitors around the site to minimise the immediate access and pressure upon the gardens.

“Having considered the application it is concluded that the proposed scheme of work outlined in the listed building consent would result in less than substantial harm to the historic fabric, character and appearance, and the setting of listed buildings.

“It is the officer’s view that the level of harm is outweighed by the public benefits arising from the proposed project and in particular securing a long-term viable investment into the historic site.

“Historic sites are best conserved when they are either used for their original purpose or sensitively adapted for a new economic use. Conservation of the historic environment brings together an appreciation of our social, economic and architectural heritage, allowing a greater appreciation for our past, providing access to previously isolated sites, whilst managing sensitive change to the historic fabric.”

They referred to “grander” plans for the castle itself being made possible through new build structures like the cafe.

Elvaston Parish Council had given the project to convert and extend historic buildings its support, but with the “caveat” that the proposed new access route is scrapped.

The Friends of Elvaston Castle campaign group filed an objection saying the “scale and massing of the proposals is incongruous in comparison to the castle and core buildings”.

It said: “A number of views of the setting of the castle will be compromised by the size and structure of the proposed changes, completely destroying any possible historical interpretation of the significance of the setting of the house and, in particular, its relationship to the Grade I-listed St Bart’s Church.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Nigel Slater

Plans to turn a Derby city centre building which used to house a restaurant into homes have been granted despite fears the development could compromise the privacy of yoga participants nearby.

The plans to turn parts of the building where Zizzi was based in Friar Gate into a number of new apartments were allowed after a crucial casting vote by a councillor ruled in favour of the developer.

Permission was sought by Stenson Vale Properties to convert and refurbish part of the first, second and third floors of the listed building to form three apartments and a six-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO).

The restaurant use for the ground and first floor of the building would be retained.

But most controversially, there were also plans to build a two-storey extension to the rear yard of the site which would house an apartment with three bedrooms.

Planning documents said there have been almost 50 objections to the plans. 

The reasons include the proximity of a new residential building to the neighbouring property and the “negative impact” on an adjacent business on George Street which forms a yoga studio called The Breathing Space.

Councillor Alison Martin said in a letter the plans would “impact detrimentally” on the yoga studio. She said: “The new build extension is too ambitious for the space available and will impact detrimentally the yoga business. Yoga studios require both optimum natural light and privacy, and the proposed extension, which extends far too close to The Coach House windows, will significantly reduce the volume and quality of the light available and the privacy. The potential damage to the studio conditions puts at risk a thriving, health-related city centre business – something we wish to encourage in the city centre.”

A spokesman from Stenson Vale Properties told a Derby City Council planning committee meeting last week that the development’s aim is to “restore a heritage asset and create a thriving living environment for the community”. He said the building had been left “dilapidated” since Covid and the day Zizzi went into administration in 2021.

He said the plans have been “scaled back” to satisfy planning officers at Derby City Council and recommendations provided had been followed. He added a daylight assessment has been carried out and the developer did not believe loss of daylight would “hinder the operation” of the yoga studio.

But a representative of the company which owns the adjoining Coach House told the meeting that the plans were likely to impact on the “very successful” yoga studio.  She said: “I’m astonished that planning would like to pass this application with 70 objections by the community. The feedback from the December planning committee was that this area was too small. The title deeds of 16-17 Friar Gate state not to carry out any building on the property that will interfere or affect the right of light with the retained land – which is The Coach House.

“All of our windows are at the rear of this building. The plan results in a direct view into the house and into the yoga studio, vice versa, and no privacy for either party.”

Before voting took place, Derby City Council’s chief planning officers said they were happy the yoga studio would not suffer a significant loss of light and that guidance states that non-domestic buildings do not have the same right to light as residential buildings. 

It was also said that title deeds and covenants were not relevant to planning decisions.

An initial vote on the plans by the planning committee was tied at three votes each – meaning the chair of the committee – Cllr Jerry Pearce had the casting vote.

Cllr Pearce allowed the development to go ahead, saying: “I think the applicant has looked to satisfy all the conditions so I would look to pass this application.”