A report by the Chief Executive set out proposals for the first stage of a restructuring of the management of the Council. 

The Chief Executive introduced his report and informed that a major concern of the Improvement Board was that the Council had lacked a strategic and co-ordinated focus and the proposals detailed in the report would address this.

The report set out the current management arrangements, proposed the creation of three Strategic Director posts, as follows, and detailed their proposed roles and areas of responsibility:

·  Strategic Director: Families and Wellbeing.

·  Strategic Director: Transformation and Resources.

·  Strategic Director: Regeneration and Environment.

The report also proposed a new recruitment procedure. In addition to these three new posts the existing posts of Head of Communication and Community Engagement and the Director of Public Health would report directly the Chief Executive. The Director of Public Health had already assumed responsibility for performance and commissioning, and it was proposed that she would also assume responsibility for Policy. The role would be re-named as the Director of Policy, Performance and Public Health.

It was proposed that the Strategic Directors would deputise for the Chief Executive on a rotational basis in his absence, and that the grade for the posts would be equivalent to the current Deputy Chief Executive (DCE) grade: £109,626 - £121,807. It was proposed that this grade would be re-designated to Strategic Director grade (SD). These grades had been benchmarked against comparable grades elsewhere in the region.

The additional cost of £365,421 would be met by reducing costs via the restructuring of the overall management function. This would be met in full by reducing costs via the restructuring of the overall management function, a further report in relation to the review of senior management structures; financial savings implications arising and any other possible associated savings would be produced within the next three months.

In addition, the report sought approval to extend and confirm the current acting and interim senior management arrangements.

The report also sought approval to amend the Council’s Scheme of Delegation to Officers to include the proposed Strategic Director posts, and extend and confirm the current acting and interim senior management arrangements, as required.

Councillor Ann McLachlan welcomed the report and the proposal within because it would ensure that the Council delivered on its Improvement Plan.  She considered that restructuring was over due and a leaner organisation would deliver value for money for the Council Tax Payers of Wirral.

Councillor Phil Davies told the Cabinet that he was pleased to receive this report early in the Chief Executive’s tenure of office.  It had been made clear that the Council must create strategic leadership capacity, address its corporate governance issues and break down departmental silos, whilst continuing to review senior management costs.  He welcomed the model being put forward to do this.  It was one that had been tried and tested and found to be effective in other local authorities.  The Cabinet now had an evidence base that the proposals would address the Council’s shortcomings which had been highlighted and would improve the Council’s policies and performance. 

Councillor Phil Davies welcomed the proposal to establish a robust Policy Unit to provide capacity for horizon scanning and to support the extension of the current management arrangements as set out in section 3 of the report. 

Councillor Phil Davies informed that agreeing these proposals was the first stage and he was looking for substantial savings at the end of the senior management restructuring process.

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet

(1)  endorses the report;

(2)  refers and recommends the following proposals to the Employment and Appointments Committee, and the Council for consideration and decision:

·  The extension and/or confirmation of the following current senior management arrangements:

o  Surjit Tour as Acting Director of Law, HR and Asset Management and as Monitoring Officer.

o  Peter Timmins as Interim Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer.

o  Tom Sault as Deputy Section 151 Officer.

(3)  refers and recommends the following proposals to the Employment and Appointments Committee, for consideration and decision:

o  David Armstrong be assigned to the post of Deputy Director: Planning, Resources and Schools, within the Children and Young People’s Department (agreed by the Employment and Appointments Committee on 29 September 2011, Minute No. 33 refers), and to be appointed as Deputy Chief Executive to provide support and handover to the new Chief Executive;

o  Julia Hassall to continue as Acting Director of Children’s Services until a permanent appointment is made; and

o  Chris McCarthy to continue as Interim Director of Technical Services. 

(4)  refer and recommend the following proposals to the Employment and Appointments Committee for consideration and decision:

·  the creation of the three Strategic Director level posts:

o  Families and Wellbeing

o  Transformation and Resources

o  Regeneration and Environment

·  the grade for the Strategic Director posts and the re-designation of the Deputy Chief Executive’s grade (SD), and to amend the Council’s Pay Policy accordingly;

·  that the Director of Public Health assumes responsibility for Policy, and the post is re-named as The Director of Policy, Performance and Public Health;

·  that the post of Head of Policy at EPO12 grade be established and the recruitment process commences;

·  that the two Officers working directly on the Council’s Improvement Plan, as detailed in section 6.5 of the report, move to the Policy, Performance and Public Health area, and be re-designated as the Improvement Team with amended job descriptions to be determined, and that the Business and Performance Manager be seconded to work with the Improvement Team on a part-time basis;

·  the service re-organisations as detailed within the report;

·  that the permanent recruitment processes for the Strategic Director: Families and Wellbeing and the Director of Children’s Services commence in September, and that a proportionate Sub - Committee of the Employment and Appointments Committee be established to appoint to the positions; and

·  that the posts of Strategic Director: Transformation and Resources and Strategic Director: Regeneration and Environment, be filled on an interim or acting up basis, until the outcomes of the Chief Officer investigations are known.

(5)  approves the re-alignment of services across departments as detailed in the report; 

(6)  receives at the next Cabinet meeting, the appropriate virement of financial resources to meet the structure changes;

(7)  recommends to the Council for approval the amendments to the Council’s Scheme of Delegation to Officers as set out in Appendix 7 to the report, subject to approval of the relevant senior management structure proposals outlined in the report by  the Employment and Appointments Committee; and

(8)  that the Chief Executive provides a further report in relation to the further senior management restructure, including details of financial savings.