Resources Committee - October 2021

This document contains an overview of the Cairngorms National Park Authority's budget management position at the halfway point of the 2021/22 financial year, as of 30 September 2021. The Resources Committee is asked to consider the budget management position for 2021/22, identify any strategic risks or implications for the board's delivery of its objectives, and note the expected 2% reduction in the authority's resource grant funding. The Scottish Government indicated a 2% reduction to the authority's resource grant, which equals £125,000. Management has developed an action plan to cover any resource reduction with minimum impact. Staffing investment is underspending at the halfway stage of the year, but there is some offset to this due to investment in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure improvements. Expenditure typically lags toward the final third of the financial year, and the senior management team continues to manage budget allocations towards a year-end break even.

This document contains the Cairngorms National Park Authority's budget for the year ended 31 March 2022, comparing actual figures against the budget as of 24 September 2021. It details various income and expenditure items, including staff costs, running costs, and project costs, broken down by different areas such as Core, Leader, and T&G. The report highlights the total expenditure, income from different projects, depreciation, and the net expenditure and grant-in-aid drawn down, with variance against the set budget.

This document contains a risk register prepared to support the trial of a hybrid working approach at the Cairngorms National Park Authority (Park Authority), developed after the COVID-19 lockdowns, and the associated return of staff to the office. The Resources Committee is asked to consider the risks and advise on any omissions, as well as comment on preventative and remedial actions. The Park Authority is trialling an approach where staff can work from home up to 50% of their hours with line manager approval, while regular or permanent homeworking requires a formal application. The approach will be trialled for 12 months and staff have been consulted via surveys on preferences and office space use. The document also contains information about identified risks, their impacts, and mitigation measures, and appendices with survey results and patterns of office and homeworking.

This document contains the draft minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority's Staff Consultative Forum meeting held on 27 September 2021. Discussions included updates on the office return project, feedback on a complaints handling policy, a health and safety update, and a review of equalities work, with actions assigned and timelines noted. The meeting also covered active travel initiatives and updates from Prospect, with a conclusion at 12:40pm.

This document contains the minutes from the Cairngorms National Park Authority's (Park Authority) Health & Safety meeting held on 24 August 2021. The meeting covered a review of previous minutes and actions, updates on Covid-19 related procedures (including fire marshals, first aid, fieldwork, and office working guidance), and facilities health and safety matters such as legionella risk assessments and kitchen decommissioning. The Ranger Service provided updates on conflict resolution training and handling incidents of verbal abuse, as well as a suggestion to incorporate the Serious Incidents Procedure across the organisation. Discussions also covered Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments and the need to provide larger keyboards, plus wellbeing and risk assessments, which included addressing anxiety about returning to the office. The document concludes with action logs from the meeting and outstanding actions from previous meetings.