Minutes:
The Chief Executive presented a report on proposals relating to senior management vacancies and interim restructure proposals pending a more detailed review over the coming months.
The Chief Executive referred to the current challenges being faced by the Council due to the wider pressures in the national economy following the pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that had led to unprecedented demand for ‘people’ services. To ensure that the Council could balance its budgets while continuing to deliver statutory and critical services, a number of reviews were being undertaken across the Council, including at senior management level.
By Minute 6 (8 November 2022), the JNC Panel had agreed several interim appointments and the intention was to extend those appointments for up to a further six months while permanent recruitment processes were conducted. In respect of the Director of Enforcement and Regulatory Services post, it was further proposed that the line management move under the Strategic Director, My Place.
The Chief Executive also referred to proposals relating to the post of Director of Homes and Assets within My Place, which had remained vacant despite two recent recruitment drives, and the reallocation of some other service areas to better align with the Council’s new localities model. Furthermore, it had become apparent over recent months that the Council needed to create additional capacity within strategic corporate finance to support a more robust approach towards the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy. To that end, the Chief Executive proposed the creation of a new post of Director of Financial Services, reporting directly to the Strategic Director of Resources, which would be funded from the deletion of the vacant post of Commercial Director.
The Panel discussed the merits of the Chief Executive’s interim restructure proposals and whether it would be more appropriate for them to be considered as part of the detailed review due to be presented to the JNC Panel in the Spring. The Chief Executive confirmed that the proposals put forward to this meeting were integral to the longer-term plans and stressed the importance of them being progressed without delay, to enable appropriate consultation arrangements to commence.
After careful consideration of the proposals and having regard to all of the views expressed, the JNC Panel resolved to:
(i) Agree the arrangements for recruitment to the following senior leadership posts on a permanent basis, with the recruitment being undertaken internally and externally at the same time and a package of support for internal applicants:
· Strategic Director, Resources
· Director of Homes and Assets
· Director of Enforcement and Regulatory Services
· Director of Adults Care and Support
(ii) Delegate authority to the Chief Executive to progress arrangements to extend the existing secondment arrangements for relevant posts for up to a further six months, while arrangements to fill the posts on a permanent basis were progressed;
(iii) Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, My Place to appoint an interim Director of Homes and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement;
(iv) Agree the deletion of the vacant post of Commercial Director, Inclusive Growth;
(v) Agree the service restructure proposals as detailed in the report, including the potential deletion of posts referred to in paragraph 3.2 of the report subject to appropriate consultation with the affected staff and Trade Union representatives; and
(vi) Approve the creation of the new permanent JNC-level post of Director of Financial Services, to be funded from the deletion of the Commercial Director post, and delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Growth and Core Services, to determine the job description, person specification and grade of the post, and to progress the recruitment and selection process.