Issue - items at meetings - Chief Executive's Department Restructure

This report invites Members to decide whether to proceed with recruitment to three permanent officer posts that were created, but not filled, when proposals for restructuring the Chief Executive’s department were considered by the Urgency Committee in August 2006.

Members considered a report which invited them to decide whether or not to proceed with recruitment to three permanent posts that had been created, but not filled, when proposals for re-structuring the Chief Executive’s department were considered at Urgency Committee in August 2006.

RESOLVED: (i) That the post of Safe City Co-ordinator be deleted (realising recurring budget savings of £35,000 from 2007/08) but that the Director of Neighbourhood Services be asked to refine the internal structures of the Neighbourhood Unit, together with those staff employed within the Safer York Partnership, to deliver more effectively in this Council priority area.

(ii) That:

a) The post of Scrutiny Officer, at SO1/2, be deleted and a post of Scrutiny Assistant, at Scale 4/5, be created, realising a recurring budget saving of £8,700 from 2007/08;

b) Appointment to the post of Scrutiny Assistant be suspended, pending an assessment of the effect of the new processes and procedures that have been introduced, together with further information about the implications of the White Paper for the scrutiny service (including government funding proposals);

c) Officers be invited to report back to the Executive in due course, either to highlight pressures within the service and apply to recruit to the post or, if evidence demonstrates that the team is managing within existing resources, to delete the post

(iii) That an appointment be made to the post of Partnership Officer, subject to the Director of City Strategy agreeing a detailed job description for the post with the Executive Leader.

REASON: In order to balance the requirements to support Safer City, Partnership working and Scrutiny against the needs of other service areas, in view of the Council’s current financial position.

Members considered a report which invited them to decide whether or not to proceed with recruitment to three permanent posts that had been created, but not filled, when proposals for re-structuring the Chief Executive’s department were considered at Urgency Committee in August 2006.

The posts in question were:

Safe City Co-ordinator (Scale PO1-4)
Partnership Officer (Scale PO1-4)
Scrutiny Officer (Scale SO 1-2)

Comments from the relevant Chief Officers on the roles that the postholders would undertake and the implications of deleting each post were set out in paragraph 7 of the report. In respect of the Scrutiny Officer post, it was now proposed that this be replaced by the post of Scrutiny Assistant, at Scale 4/5.

It was noted that the costs of appointing to the posts in the current financial year (estimated at £28,750) could not be accommodated within the 2006/07 budget and would have to be requested from reserves.

Members agreed that the three posts did address priority areas and that, in any other financial position, they would be recommended for approval. It was noted that a report would be brought to the Executive asking them to agree a response to consultation on the forthcoming government White Paper.