Agenda item

The Committee is asked to consider a request from the Deputy Chief Executive for voluntary redundancy as part of the 2016/17 budget reduction proposals and if accepted the resultant changes to the organisations chief officer structure. 

The Committee considered a request from the Deputy Chief Executive for voluntary redundancy as part of the 2016/2017 budget reduction proposals and if accepted the resultant changes to the organisations chief officer structure. 

It was reported that the Council had anticipated that there would be a funding gap of £20 million for the financial year 2016/2017 based on the information available to it at the time. The Provisional Settlement had been announced in late December 2015 and had brought an unexpected additional £5.1m of funding pressures as a result of further Government cuts to the Department for Communities and Local Government Departmental Expenditure Limit and front loading of those cuts over the 4-year Settlement period.

The Deputy Chief Executive had determined at this point that she would put a request to the Chief Executive that he considered a request from her for voluntary redundancy on the basis that her post could be removed.  The services she managed could be managed by other members of the Corporate Leadership Team and therefore a saving could be achieved that would be part of the strategy to close the gap.

The Chief Executive had considered that proposal and was satisfied that such arrangements could be made to restructure the management team and that as a result there would be a significant saving to the authority on an ongoing basis.

Details of proposed changes to the Council’s structure were put forward by the Chief Executive, which included the removal of the Deputy Chief Executive’s Department from the organisation structure. A new structure would ned to be in place from 1st April 2016, to take account of the proposed departure of Mrs McKeogh.

It was reported that further minor changes in the functions managed by Chief Officers could be necessary as these changes embed and impact on the workloads of the Chief Officers that remain. An opportunity would also be taken to look at certain particular functions in the above directorates to see where further resilience and complimentary working could be achieved and changes made to the structure which supported this.

Prior to formally considering the voluntary redundancy request the committee:

Resolved: That under Section 100 (A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be

excluded from the meeting for consideration of personal details of the voluntary redundancy request on the grounds that it would involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

The Committee agreed:

1.      To approve the voluntary redundancy of the Deputy Chief Executive, Carmel McKeogh effective from the 31 March 2016.  This request will deliver on going senior management savings and contribute to the 2016/ 2017 savings proposals.

2.      To agree to the removal of the Deputy Chief Executive’s Department from the organisational structure and to note that the Chief Executive will review the proposed changes to the Council’s structure to be effective from 1st April 2016. These being on the basis put forward in the report and any resultant changes necessary as these changes embed and impact on the workloads of the Chief Officers that remain The Chief Executive would also consider whether certain functions in associated directorates can be reassigned to other Chief Officers where further resilience and complimentary working could be achieved.

3.      To authorise the Chief Executive to seek expressions of interest from the Chief Officers who are line managed by him, to determine who will be designated as the Council’s Deputy Chief Executive within the new structure, from 1 April 2016.

4.      To agree that the Committee undertake an interview process following these expressions of interest and to note that this designation does not entail any additional remuneration.