Agenda item

REPORT OF THE HEAD OF PAID SERVICE (CHIEF EXECUTIVE)

RESOLVED:    

(1)        That the proposed senior management arrangements, as set out in the report, and the proposed timetable for the implementation of these arrangements, be noted;

(2)        That, to meet its statutory responsibilities, Ian Couper, Head of Finance, Performance and Asset Management be appointed as the Council’s Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer), effective from 4 September 2017; and

(3)        That the approach taken over many years of seeking to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible, as advocated in the agreed Reorganisation Policy, be supported.  In the event that redundancies (either voluntary or compulsory) are required, then the costs of such redundancies will be met from a reduction in the General Fund balance which will be reported through the quarterly budget monitoring process.

REASON FOR DECISION:  To enable the Council to meet the significant financial and service delivery challenges which it faces over the next 3-5 years.

The Head of Paid Service (Chief Executive) submitted a report in respect of the proposed senior management arrangements for the Council from 2017 onwards.  The following appendices were submitted with the report:

Appendix 1 – Current management arrangements; and

Appendix 2 – Proposed Senior Management Structure.

The Head of Paid Service advised that Recommendation 2.1 of the report referred to the proposed revised Senior Management arrangements for the Council;

Recommendation 2.2 related to the proposed appointment of Mr Ian Couper to the statutory post of Chief Financial Officer (Section 151 Officer) following the retirement of the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance; and Recommendation 2.3 re-affirmed the Council’s commitment to its Reorganisation Policy in respect of the re-structuring process.

The Head of Paid Service drew attention to the Council’s budgetary situation and the fact that, for 2017/18, the Council had identified and approved efficiency savings for the Senior Management Restructuring.  The proposals contained in the report would allow those savings to be achieved.

The Head of Paid Service stated that the main changes proposed were for the posts of Strategic Director to be deleted, and in their place a new post of Deputy Chief Executive to work alongside himself in the strategic management of the Authority. 

Allied to this was the proposal to replace the Heads of Service/Corporate Managers posts with 7 posts of Service Directors.

The Head of Paid Service commented that the final grouping of services in each of the Service Directorates was yet to be finalised, and that this would not happen until after the appointment of the Deputy Chief Executive, and following consultation with the existing Heads of Service and Corporate Managers.  However, he felt that it would be helpful to provide an indication of the likely priorities for service areas to commence that consultation.  It was therefore proposed that, for the purposes of updating Council and providing an initial basis for informal consultation with Heads of Service and Corporate Managers, the main areas of focus were likely to be:

·       Resources;

·       Legal and Community;

·       Leisure & Environment - delivering the new waste service;

·       Revenues, Benefits and IT;

·       Commercialisation  and Customer Services; and

·       Planning and Public Health.

In terms of timelines, the Head of Paid Service advised that he was in dialogue with the East of England Local Government Association regarding recruitment to the Deputy Chief Executive post, and that he would be working with them to move that process forward in late July/August 2017.

It was moved by Councillor Mrs L.A. Needham, and seconded by Councillor Julian Cunningham, that the recommendations in the report be approved.

The Council debated the report and the Leader of the Council and Head of Paid Service answered a number of Members’ questions on the report.  Some Members questioned the recruitment process and the proposed titles of “Service Directors” in terms of how this might be perceived by the public and potential re-grading leading to a loss of savings.

The Chief Executive advised of the process, and confirmed that any pay scales for the new posts would be independently evaluated by Hay.  He stated that he would keep Members fully informed of progress on the restructuring process.

Upon the motion being put to the vote, it was

RESOLVED:    

(1)        That the proposed senior management arrangements, as set out in the report, and the proposed timetable for the implementation of these arrangements, be noted;

(2)        That, to meet its statutory responsibilities, Ian Couper, Head of Finance, Performance and Asset Management be appointed as the Council’s Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer), effective from 4 September 2017; and

(3)        That the approach taken over many years of seeking to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible, as advocated in the agreed Reorganisation Policy, be supported.  In the event that redundancies (either voluntary or compulsory) are required, then the costs of such redundancies will be met from a reduction in the General Fund balance which will be reported through the quarterly budget monitoring process.

REASON FOR DECISION:  To enable the Council to meet the significant financial and service delivery challenges which it faces over the next 3-5 years.