Agenda item

The Chief Executive introduced the Senior Management Restructure report. The restructure proposed a common sense structure which would remedy some of the confusion that previous restructures had caused. The proposal was to move to a ‘London’ structure of Directors, Executive Directors and Heads of Service, which was more widely used and recognised and would also help with recruitment, giving clarity on the position-level being advertised.

The Chief Executive advised that there had been wide consultation with staff regarding the restructure, firstly at an informal level and then through formal consultation, and feedback had been taken on board resulting in tweaks and changes in response to this. If approved by members the proposed restructure would be presented to Council later in the week for approval.

The Chief Executive also drew members’ attention to the recommendation for Slough Borough Council to have its own Director of Health, given the health inequalities in Slough.

In answer to questions about the grading system and the expected impact of the restructure in terms of performance and efficiency, it was explained that differences in grading eg between Grade SML 11 and SML 12, which both covered Heads of Service posts, were dependent on the job evaluation and the level of resource responsibility, the grading had also been independently evaluated. In terms of expected impact on performance the Chief Executive explained that the senior management restructure was not a work in isolation, and a cultural change was needed in the organisation in terms of accountability, performance, all staff having an appraisal and understanding where their work fit into the wider organisational objectives; the restructure was a part of this process.

Members also raised questions on potential vacancies at senior level and retention policy. In answer it was clarified that the recruitment process would begin as soon as the senior management restructure was approved, with roles being marketed as a place to come if candidates wanted to make a real difference. If candidates could see that they were coming to an organisation that was developing and improving and helping its people develop then it was hoped they would stay in the organisation.

Resolved – That the Committee:

i)  Noted the contents of the report.

ii)  Recommended the report to Council to –

a)  Approve the chief officer structure as set out in Appendix A and agree the pay grades for the new Director posts which included grades over £100,000.

b)  Note the other proposed changes to the structure at Appendix A that the Head of Paid Service intended to make and approve the redundancy package(s) set out in Appendix B.

c)  Authorise the Monitoring Officer to make any consequential changes to the Constitution, including Article 12, Part 3.6 Scheme of Delegation to Officers, Part 4.7 Officer Employment Rules, and Part 7.

d)  Delegate to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader decisions to depart from the multi-borough agreement to share a statutory Director of Public Health (recruitment to that post would then be conducted in the normal way).