Minutes:
The Committee considered the Managing Director’s report on the proposed restructuring of the Council’s Corporate Management Team (CMT) in order to ensure that the Council was well placed to deliver on its current priorities to the community, but also to meet future challenges.
The Committee was reminded that, on 10 October 2013, the Council had agreed the current senior management structure, comprising a Managing Director and six Executive Heads of Service (EHoS). These arrangements had been established on an interim basis for a period of two years. The Council agreed that a review should take place by November 2015 to test how the structure was working and to consider what, if any, changes would need to be made.
The Managing Director had reviewed the structure in consultation with Executive councillors and group leaders (prior to the May elections) along with EHoS and Heads of Service.
It was clear from feedback from both councillors and officers that the current structure was much better than that which had been in place previously. The general opinion was that CMT, as a team, had worked well and some constructive challenge was in place. Councillors had also felt more engaged and that the strong Leader model was working well. There was however, a desire to confirm a more permanent structure and, once this had happened, to embed changes to the structure below, at third tier management.
The conclusion drawn from all feedback was that, to ensure effective delivery of the Council’s Corporate Plan and strategic priorities, some rebalancing of responsibilities was required. There was cause for concern of the greater demands placed on the outward facing services, particularly in the area of ‘Development’, with town centre regeneration and the Local Plan being major objectives for the Council to achieve. In the current CMT structure, there was also a difference in the span of responsibility and influence of the respective Executive Heads of Service, which needed to be re-balanced.
The Committee noted the various drivers for change listed in the report which had been considered in developing a new structure.
The report included details of the formal consultations that had taken place with those officers directly affected by the proposal and Unison.
The Managing Director had considered all responses received, which had led to some changes to the initial proposals.
A chart outlining the proposed changes to the CMT structure was appended to the report. The new structure proposes fewer members on CMT, a consequence of which would be a realignment of responsibilities across senior management posts and a reduction of one post at EHoS level.
The changes proposed would rationalise designation of chief officer posts through five Directorates, with EHoS job titles changing to Director. The restructure would provide three public facing directorates supported by two predominately internal facing as follows:
· Environment Directorate
· Community Directorate
· Development Directorate
· Resources Directorate (Financial services and Business Systems)
· Corporate Directorate (HR, Legal and Corporate services)
Having considered the substantive posts, span of control and responsibilities of the three existing internally focussed Executive Heads of Service, the Managing Director had proposed to delete the Executive Head of Organisational Development (EHoOD) post based on the potential for realignment of the services and functions currently within his remit. Consequently, the substantive post of Head of Corporate Development would also be deleted from the establishment. This would make the current post holder, Martyn Brake at risk of redundancy. The costs associated with this change were set out in the report but did not include all elements of the costs.
The Committee acknowledged that Mr Brake had done a good job in his current role as EHoOD, as well as supporting on governance and transformation related matters.
The report had also set out a number of consequential changes to services and functions currently reporting to the EHoOD, which would be apportioned across the other Directorates following the deletion of this post.
The Managing Director had also proposed a number of reviews, particularly around the transformation agenda, to ensure that Council continues its journey towards exemplar status, details of which were set out in the report.
In forming the restructure proposals, the Managing Director had reviewed the impact on the other Executive Heads taking on additional services or functions and their span of control. She considered that the changes were not significant enough for the Directors to be classified as new posts. On that basis, she had proposed to re-designate the following posts and current post holders in to the five new chief officer roles as follows:
|
Current role: |
Assimilated to: |
|
Executive Head of Environment |
Director of Environment |
|
Executive Head of Housing and Health |
Director of Community Services |
|
Executive Head of Development |
Director of Development |
|
Executive Head of Financial Services |
Director of Resources |
|
Executive Head of Governance |
Director of Corporate Services |
In order to provide stability, it was proposed that the Director posts (except the Director of Corporate Services who was on a new fixed term contract) be made permanent. The offer of a permanent contract would not materially disadvantage the Council, but would provide recognition to each EHoS for their valued performance to date. This move would also facilitate the restructure at the third tier and ensure that deputy chief officers could be clearly identified.
The current generic job description for EHoS would be reviewed to ensure that the change to Director, the broader leadership changes and aspirations from the new administration were reflected.
The Committee also gave consideration to the appointment of two new CMT adviser posts, details of which were set out in the report.
After careful consideration of the proposals, the Committee
RESOLVED: That, subject to full Council’s consideration of the recommendation below:
(1) the Executive Head of Organisational Development and Head of Corporate Development posts be deleted from the establishment with effect from 31 October 2015;
(2) the new Corporate Management Team structure, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report submitted to the Committee, be approved with effect from 1 August 2015;
(3) the following consequential changes be approved:
(a) Chief Internal Auditor to report directly to the Managing Director;
(b) Energy Management and Sustainability Officer to report to the Director of Resources pending further review and consultation
(c) PR and Marketing Manager to report to the Director of Corporate Services
(d) Web Programme Manager to report temporarily to the Director of Corporate Services pending further review and consultation
(e) Policy and Partnerships Officer to report to the Director of Corporate Services pending further review and consultation
(4) the Managing Director to review:
by 31 October 2015:
(a) the respective roles of the HR and Business Improvement Manager and Head of Business Systems and, in the interim, the HR and Business Improvement Manager shall report to the Director of Corporate Services and Head of Business Systems shall report to the Director of Resources; and
(b) how best to deliver transformation in the organisation and the resources/skills set required to achieve this;
by 31 March 2016:
(c) the role and scope of the economic development function
(5) the Director posts (with the exception of the Director of Corporate Services) be made permanent;
(6) the Managing Director to review and consult on current generic job descriptions for Executive Heads of Service to ensure that the change to Director, the broader leadership changes and aspirations for the new administration are reflected;
(7) the appointment of a Deputy Managing Director, on an initial 12 month basis, be considered by the Employment Committee in early September and reported to full Council at its meeting on 7 October 2015;
(8) the appointment, subject to negotiation, of the current interim post of Head of Planning directly on contract for a further period of 18 months as Infrastructure Programme Director, reporting to the Director of Development;
(9) the appointment, on an interim 18 month basis, of a Strategic Communications Consultant to report to the Director of Corporate Services, as adviser to the Corporate Management Team to lead on the Council’s communications planning on the place shaping agenda;
(10) the Heritage and culture function and management of the Electric Theatre to move to the Environment Directorate pending the outcome of the review of the Economic Development function referred to in paragraph 4(c) above;
(11) the Asset Development service to move to the Resources Directorate pending the outcome of the review of the Economic Development function referred to in paragraph 4(c) above;
(12) the Interim Manager Major Projects post within Economic Development be extended for three months
The Committee, having noted that any proposal to make a termination payment of £100,000 or more, including the cost by the employer to the Local Government Pension Scheme, required approval by full Council before any offer was made,
RECOMMEND: Thatthe termination payment by way of redundancy of the Executive Head of Organisational Development, and associated pension costs set out below be approved:
· Redundancy costs - £95,625.50
· Pension strain costs - £92,099.42
Reason for Decision/Recommendation:
To adopt a new Corporate Management structure that will ensure the Council is able to deliver on its Corporate Plan priorities and is well placed to meet future challenges.