How did North Yorkshire Council’s companies perform last year?Union escalates dispute over transfer of Harrogate council staff

Union members at Harrogate Borough Council have escalated their opposition to plans to transfer them to a new employer from April.

Five members of staff, working in the information and internal audit services department, were told they would be transferring to shared services group Veritau rather than the new North Yorkshire Council from April.

Now, Unison said it has involved its regional Yorkshire and Humberside office in the dispute after both HBC and NYCC refused to take responsibility for the decision.

Harrogate branch secretary Dave Houlgate said:

“Following the lodging of our dispute last week, which will be heard on Thursday, the borough council has come back to us to say that it was not their decision but that of North Yorkshire County Council using its transition/implementation powers.

“We have asked for some more detail around this but the upshot is that no one seems to want to take any responsibility for the decision.

“That cannot be right. This is incredibly stressful for staff who all along have had an expectation they would transfer to North Yorkshire Council.

“This late change is unfair and is unacceptable.”

The new chief executive of North Yorkshire Council has already said decisions about where staff will transfer to will be made by HBC.

Mr Houlgate said HBC had previously given reassurance to staff that they would not be transferring to Veritau, a shared service group owned by local authorities across Yorkshire and the north east.

He added:

“We can reveal that in August last year, following concerns raised by Unison, the staff were reassured by the borough council that they would be transferring to North Yorkshire Council on April 1, 2023. It remains our belief that the decision is ultimately with the borough council and that the council should stand by what it has previously told its staff.

“Understandably we are pursuing this with both councils, seeking clarity around decision-making, accountability, oversight and where the duty to engage with staff and Unison actually rests.”

Mr Houlgate said Unison would take the dispute to HBC’s human resources committee and had already tabled a question for its overview and scrutiny commission, which is set to meet on February 6 to discuss local government reorganisation.

Unison said it is unable to raise the issue at a full council meeting because HBC is not holding one until March, which will be too late.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Harrogate Borough Council for a response.

The authority previously said audit services for the new authority will be provided by Veritau and that staff had been kept informed throughout the process.

It said staff will transfer on their existing terms and conditions, and will be offered the option of moving to Veritau’s terms.

Read more:

 

Harrogate council defends decision to transfer audit staff to Veritau

Harrogate Borough Council has defended its decision not to transfer some staff to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Five audit services staff recently discovered they would transfer to Veritau, a shared service group owned by local authorities in Yorkshire and north-east England.

Public services union Unison said on Tuesday it was “dismayed” by the decision, which it said came after more than a year of talks in which it was expected all staff would transfer to the new super-council under TUPE terms.

Unison Harrogate branch secretary Dave Houlgate said it had raised a dispute and called on Harrogate Borough Council to “stand by its staff and resist this late change”, adding:

“We object in the strongest terms to this late change of plan which shows total disregard for the staff involved, denies them the opportunity to move on to new terms and conditions negotiated and agreed by Unison and ignores established procedures and protocols that are in place.”

A council spokesperson said today:

“Engagement with staff, and consultation with trade unions, has taken place at every stage of the transition to North Yorkshire Council. This will continue, ensuring staff are kept informed of progress and have the opportunity to raise concerns. All staff also continue to be offered support.

“The audit service for the new council will be provided by Veritau, a company created in 2009 by North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council. Veritau has provided audit and other specialist services to the authorities, as well as other organisations, for many years. Providing income that will continue for the new council. Veritau already provides services to five of the seven district and borough councils that will be replaced by North Yorkshire Council.

“It is proposed staff currently providing the service in Harrogate will move to Veritau on April 1. Employment protection ensures that they will transfer on their existing terms and conditions. Individuals will have the option of choosing Veritau’s terms and conditions, should they wish to do so.”

Read more:

 

Unison raises dispute with Harrogate council after five staff told they won’t transfer to new council

A trade union has opened a dispute with Harrogate Borough Council after five staff at the local authority were told they will not transfer to the new North Yorkshire Council after all.

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished on April 1 and it was thought all staff except chief executive Wallace Sampson would transfer to the successor authority under TUPE terms.

But Unison said it was “dismayed” to discover five audit services staff had recently discovered they would transfer to Veritau, a shared service group owned by local authorities in Yorkshire and north-east England.

Unison Harrogate branch secretary Dave Houlgate said the staff would switch to Veritau on “detrimental” terms to those who will transfer to North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Houlgate said:

“Staff and Unison have engaged with the TUPE process for well over a year now and our expectation and the expectation of all staff is that they will transfer to the new North Yorkshire Council on April 1 on their existing terms and conditions but with the opportunity to move on to new terms and conditions at the new council, which Unison has negotiated.

“It would seem, however, that the current county council has decided at this very late stage it does not want Harrogate Borough Council staff who work in the area associated with audit services to transfer to the new council but instead has decided that they should transfer to a separate company, Veritau.  Unison opposes this move.”

Our #Harrogate branch has lodged a formal dispute with Harrogate Borough Council after it emerges not all staff will be offered the opportunity to transfer to the new #NorthYorkshire council when the councils come together on 1 April#LocalGov @unisonyh https://t.co/gQt7z5SHxJ

— North Yorkshire UNISON (@NYUnison) January 16, 2023

 

Mr Houlgate said the option of staff not being offered the chance to TUPE to North Yorkshire Council “has never been on the agenda, even though we had raised it as a concern early in the process” and the union was “dismayed by this development”.

He said although North Yorkshire County Council and Veritau wanted staff to transfer directly to Veritau, it was ultimately Harrogate Borough Council’s decision.

“We object in the strongest terms to this late change of plan which shows total disregard for the staff involved, denies them the opportunity to move on to new terms and conditions negotiated and agreed by Unison and ignores established procedures and protocols that are in place.

“Staff in audit services at Harrogate should, as they expect to do, transfer to the new authority and then if there is a need to review how audit services are delivered for the new council then the proper processes should be followed after the transfer.

“Our expectation was that Harrogate Borough Council would stand by its staff and should resist this late change rather than give it the ‘green light’. Our dispute is intended to ensure this happens.”

The Stray Ferret has approached Harrogate Borough Council for comment.

Read more: