Issue - meetings

Robert Pollock, Chief Executive

 

Key decision

 

Report to follow

The Chief Executive is reorganising the senior management of the Council and has been consulting staff. The Senior Management Review proposals are integral to the Council’s transformation programme - Our Cambridge. This report provides the scrutiny committee with an overview of the consultation feedback and revisions to the proposals.

 

The foreword to the consultation is at Annex A. The consultation document is a separate attachment. The key elements of the proposals include:

 

·       Re-arranging the management of council teams into five groups to create a flatter structure, improve collaboration, and increase efficiency.

·       Reducing the cost of senior management by 20 per cent through a reduction in the number of posts.

·       Achieving around £0.3m net savings per annum once the new structure is fully implemented.

The Civic Affairs Committee will consider changes to the senior officer pay structure on 8 Feb 2023 which implement aspects of the proposals. The Employment (Senior Officer) Committee is responsible for recommending severance packages over £100k to Council.

 

Decision of the Leader of the Council recommended to Council:

 

 

·       That the Council approves the restructuring proposals set out in this report:

 

a) the deletion of the following posts at Director level: Director of Communities and Neighbourhoods; and Director Enterprise and Sustainable Development; and

 

b) the creation of the following new posts at Director level: Director, Communities; Director, City Services; Chief Operating Officer.

 

c) the deletion of the following posts at Head of Service level:

-       Head of Commercial Services

-       Head of Community Services

-       Head of Corporate Strategy / Assistant Chief Executive

-       Head of Environmental Services

-       Head of Housing Maintenance and Assets

-       Head of Housing Services

-       Head of Human Resources

-       Head of Property Services

-       Head of Transformation 

 

d) the creation of the following new posts at Assistant Director level, which will be composed of 2 levels:

-       Assets and Property (AD2)

-       Assistant Chief Executive (AD2)

-       Housing and Homelessness (AD1)

 

e) to note that the following posts will be subject to slotting-in arrangements with new post titles:

-       Head of Finance to Chief Finance Officer (AD1)

-       Head of Housing Development Agency to Assistant Director, Development (AD1)

 

f)   the creation of a new Head of People and a Head of Transformation on 2-year Fixed Term contracts at Band 11, while future leadership arrangements for ‘Transformation, Digital and HR’ are considered. 

 

g) that the Chief Executive is given delegated powers to take all steps necessary to implement the new structure (other than those delegated to the ESOC) including final determination of the Council's staffing structure below Director level, and

 

H) where specific changes to the Constitution are required the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer should make such changes.

That the Council notes:

h) the Head of 3C Shared Legal Services (Head of Service) and Council’s Monitoring Officer becomes an Assistant Director grade (AD1) in the new grade structure. 

i) the Head of Building Control (Head of Service) post will be reviewed once the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service management restructure has been fully implemented.

j) changes proposed to the senior officer Leadership Behaviours following feedback from the consultation (see Annex B).

k) that the transitional Group structure will provide staff with certainty about line management arrangements and are a starting point for each Group organisational redesign (Annex C).

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

 

The Chief Executive introduced the report.

 

The Chief Executive said the following in response to Members’ questions:

 

      i.         Portfolio division is a decision for Members.

     ii.         There had been comprises made in regard to the naming of groups, however there will be more work done on the group structure over time.

    iii.         It will be possible to reduce to four groups if this was something that needs to be done in future.

   iv.         The Head of HR is proposing some changes to pay for recruitment and retention. A report was going to the Civic Affairs Committee on the 8^th of February about this.

The scrutiny committee unanimously approved the recommendations.

 

The Leader of the Council approved the recommendations.

 

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensation granted)

 

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.