Issue - meetings

Report of Assistant Director of Human Resources.

Purpose of report

To provide the Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee with the Council’s Health and Safety performance for Quarter 1 of the 2025/26 financial year.

Recommendations

The Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee resolves:

1.1           To review the content of the report.

1.2           To provide feedback if any further detail or additional information is required in future reports.

Resolved

(1)        That the Health and Safety Report performance for Quarter 1 of the 2025/26 financial year be noted.

The Assistant Director Human Resources submitted a report that provided the Committee with the Council’s Health and Safety performance for Quarter 1 of the 2025/26 financial year.

In introducing the report, the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services explained that there had been no regulatory interventions or enforcement action taken against the council during this reporting period. The Health and Safety Supervisor was supporting Environmental Services teams to address actions that had arisen following the Internal Audit carried out by Veritau, the Council’s Internal Auditors, in December 2024.

In response to a question regarding the impact of the introduction of kerbside glass collection on the health and safety of waste collection staff, the Assistant Director Environmental Services explained that due to the proposed collection method, there would be a noise and weight impact for staff. Waste collection was an extremely dangerous industry. Health and safety was paramount to keep staff and the public safe. Training was extremely important with safety embedded in the workforce

In his capacity as Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services, Councillor Middleton highlighted the importance of investing in the council’s depots to maintain employee safety, future proof the service and provide services required by residents.

In considering the report, the Committee noted that the council had begun looking at properties in its portfolio to establish whether the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Martyn’s Law) would have an impact on each property and requested that an update be included in a future report

Resolved

(1)        That the Health and Safety Report performance for Quarter 1 of the 2025/26 financial year be noted.