Resources Committee - August 2022

This document contains an overview of the Cairngorms National Park Authority's budget management at the end of the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year (ending 30 June 2022). The Scottish Government announced a possible 2% reduction in original grant funding, which would mean a £129,000 reduction for the Authority. Despite this, the first quarter financial position supports the projection of a break-even outturn position. After implementing the 2022/23 pay award, there was an underspend of £77,554 against the salaries budget. Most programme management costs have been recovered from external funds as expected, and running costs are generally in line with expectations. The operational plan's budgeted investment for the first quarter is relatively low, with most activity planned for later in the year.

This document contains the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Resources Committee Annex from 12 August 2022. It details the actual versus budgeted figures, including staff costs, project costs, running costs, and the operational plan. The document also shows the annual budget, the first quarter (Q1) budget, the variance between the Q1 budget and actual spending, and the projected outturn. Total expenditure, other income, cash expenditure, grant-in-aid drawn down and net cash expenditure are listed.

This document contains the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Resources Committee Paper 2, presented on 12 August 2022, regarding the estimated financial outturn for 2021/22. Prepared by David Cameron, Director of Corporate Services, the paper asks the Resources Committee to consider the estimated outturn position for the 2021/22 financial year, which is nearing completion with an external audit expected to commence in July 2022. The updated position shows a slight improvement from May 2022 and is close to the break-even target, with an overall underspend of £159,000 against a £9,590,000 total income. The underspend is mainly due to capital expenditure on peatland restoration, with £442,000 reprofiled into future years, while core expenditure management is close to budget expectation. The figures are final for external audit submission, with potential updates to be brought to the Committee and Audit and Risk Committee.

This document contains the draft Resources Committee Report to the Cairngorms National Park Authority (NPA) Board for August 2021 to August 2022. The Resources Committee, established after a review of the Cairngorms NPA's board committee structure, is responsible for finance, delivery, staffing, and recruitment. The committee met five times and sought assurance on key aspects of the Cairngorms NPA's operations, including staff pay, budget development and monitoring, financial outturn, equality duties, staff engagement, staff terms and conditions, and health and safety. The committee has worked to understand its remit and role within the Cairngorms NPA's governance structure, and feels that it has been successful in this work. The Committee has not identified any changes required to its terms of reference over the course of this reporting period. The Resources Committee believes there are no significant changes needed in the Committee's operations over the coming year.

This document contains a proposal for the Cairngorms National Park Authority (Park Authority) to move towards a 35-hour working week. The Scottish Government's Finance Pay Policy (FPP) encourages employers to consider this, and many other organizations are already offering 35-hour contracts. Staff surveys and drop-in sessions have explored views on this change. The Park Authority's Resources Committee (RC) will consider the level of commitment, key elements of a business case to support the change, and whether to consider a four-day week as part of the plan. The business plan will consider phased reduction options, impacts on staff, and potential actions to mitigate any negative effects with the goal of developing a business case for implementation in 2023/24. The document is proposing that the draft business will be taken back to the Resources Committee before sign off prior to it being shared with staff and the Scottish Government (SG).

This document contains the results of a staff consultation regarding a potential move to a 35-hour working week at the Cairngorms National Park Authority. The consultation, sent to 89 staff members, received 49 responses (55% return rate). A large majority (89.8%) of respondents favoured the move, citing reasons such as better work/life balance and improved morale. However, concerns were raised about workload management, potential negative PR, and the need for technology upgrades. Staff were also asked about the timing of implementation, limits on flexitime, and the possibility of reducing annual leave. The document highlights various considerations and suggestions for developing a business case for the change, including ensuring equality, supporting staff, and addressing potential productivity impacts. The document shows that the Cairngorms National Park Authority does not expect any additional funding to cover changes and resourcing arising from changes in working hours.

This document contains the draft minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Staff Consultative Forum held on 27 June 2022. The meeting covered a range of topics, including a review of previous minutes, updates on lockers for staff, the acceptance of a "Right to Disconnect" paper, and a discussion of new normal survey results related to hybrid working. Other items discussed were IT issues, staff induction, driving licence requirements, milk provision for staff, health and safety, leadership, and equalities training. The meeting also included action items with assigned responsibilities and due dates, covering topics like data breach policy, mental health first aid, and travel expenses.

This document contains the minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Health and Safety meeting on 19 July 2022. Attendees included Kate Christie, Pip Mackie, Alan Smith, Mark Pocock, Colin Simpson, Becky Stanton, Lisa Maclsaac, and Liz Henderson. The meeting covered a range of topics including fire safety, lone working devices, Covid-19 updates, infrastructure inspection and maintenance, facilities matters, and ranger service updates. Action items were assigned for each topic, and a log of actions from this and previous meetings was included.