The Axe Falls As Highland Council Management Restructures To Save £310,000
20th April 2024
As intimated in Highland Council's budget plan, a new senior management structure is to be implemented following approval by Council 14th March. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner said: "Members have agreed the new senior management structure which will not only deliver required budget savings but also make Highland Council’s management structure more equivalent to other local authorities. The new structure will help the council to deliver the priorities in its Programme, Budget Strategy and Delivery Plan while achieving better outcomes for local communities."
The new senior structure will initially deliver savings of £310,000, as part of the budget savings agreed by Council in the budget setting in February. It is anticipated that savings will eventually equate to around 20% of senior management team costs.
The new structure will consist of three service clusters, each managed by a new post of Assistant Chief Executive (ACE) who will report directly to the Chief Executive, Derek Brown.
The new service clusters will be:
• People - combining Health & Social Care and Education & Learning
• Place - combining Community & Place, Housing & Property and Infrastructure, Environment & Economy
• Corporate - combining the existing Depute Chief Executive Service, Performance & Governance, and Resources & Finance
Combining the current 8 Services into 3 service clusters will:
• support collaborative working across the organisation;
• help to strengthen strategy and links to operational delivery;
• align with the Highland Outcome Improvement Plan (HOIP); and
• support delivery of the Our Future Highland Programme.
Recruitment to the three Assistant Chief Executive posts has commenced and it is expected that appointments will be made by the end of April, with successful candidates taking up post from the start of May.
The Depute Chief Executive post and 7 Executive Chief Officer (ECO) posts (some of which are either filled on a temporary basis or vacant) will be deleted and the 3 new ACE posts ringfenced to ECOs who are permanent staff. The current 16 Head of Service posts (some of which are filled on a temporary basis) will then be deleted and replaced with 14 Chief Officer (CO) posts, into which existing ECOs can be matched and current heads of service can be recruited through a ring-fencing process. This second phase of the restructure is due to commence in August/September and conclude by December.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Communities and Place Committee met yesterday (Wednesday 27 November 2024) and Members agreed the Highland Local Child Poverty Action Report which includes actions for delivery in 2024/25. Reducing child poverty is a priority for the Council and its partners.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Members of the Highland Council's Community and Place Committee have given their support to an action plan focusing on the operating of public conveniences over the next 10 years. Whilst not a statutory function, the Council is the main provider of public conveniences located throughout Highland, operating 74 sites.
A report published on 27 November 2024 by LGIU (Local Government Information Unit) looks at the state of funding for councils by the Scottish Government. Confidence in the sustainability of council finances is critically low.
At today's (Wednesday 27 November 2024) Communities & Place Committee, Members agreed the most appropriate long-term strategic direction for residual waste management is to continue to utilise a merchant provider solution. Communities & Place Committee Chair, Cllr Graham MacKenzie said: "After careful consideration and analysis it has been agreed that a merchant provider solution is considered the most appropriate long term solution to our statutory waste management obligations, and that an energy-from- waste facility within the Highlands is not considered to be a suitable course of action.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The Highland Council welcomes confirmation by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robison that the Scottish Government will enable The Highland Council to use up to £28m of its funding through the Inverness & Highland City Region Deal to deliver a new electric Corran Ferry. The vessels used on the route are in need of replacement and this funding announcement, alongside the existing investment commitments.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The Highland Council has invested in 6 new winter gritting vehicles to replace some of the ageing fleet. Three vehicles have been delivered, with another 3 to be delivered shortly.
The Highland Council is pleased to announce a new contract has been awarded to Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging, for the Provision of Mixed Paper & Cardboard Treatment Services with Haulage (from the Highland Council area). The contract which covers a period of up to 6 years will see approximately 11,500 tonnes of mixed paper and card transported from Highland Council Waste Transfer Stations to Smurfit Westrock's Glasgow recycling facility annually.
