Issue - meetings

Brent Council faces many challenges over the next four years but its current structure is ill-equipped to meet them.  In important respects, we remain a very fragmented organisation with a traditional departmental structure which, with a few exceptions, has remained largely unchanged for nearly two decades.  The arrival of a new Administration and the adoption of a new Corporate Strategy inevitably prompts us to examine our internal arrangements to ensure they are still fit for purpose.  This need is reinforced by the acute financial crisis facing local government which means that we need to review critically everything that we do to ensure that frontline services are protected and resources are not wasted on inappropriate structures, out of date ways of working and inefficient business processes.  The proposals in this report set out how we can meet the very real financial challenges facing local government while enhancing our ability to deliver the ambitions set out in the new Administration’s policy programme.

Appendix also referred to below.

(i)         that the major changes and challenges currently facing local government be noted;

(ii)        that the broad vision for the future shape and structure of the Council set out in the body of the report from the Chief Executive and in Appendices 1 and 2 of the report be agreed;

(iii)       that the measures already taken to modernise the Council’s structure, staffing and spans of management control as set out in section 4 of the Chief Executive’s report be noted;

(iv)       that agreement be given, subject to the outcome of consultation with staff, to the deletion of the Business Transformation department and the reconfiguration of its functions as set out in section 5 of the report;

(v)        that the other proposed departmental structures as set out in section 5 of the report be endorsed;

(vi)       that the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be authorised to make such other consequential changes as may be needed to give effect to the proposals in this report.

The Chief Executive introduced his report which set out proposals to restructure departmental arrangements in order to ensure that they were fit to meet forthcoming challenges particularly in the light of the acute financial crisis facing local government and the need to ensure efficiency, the protection of front line services and the ambitions set out in the new Administration’s policy programme.

The Chief Executive advised that since the publication of his proposals extensive consultation had taken place with council departments and staff and he was aware that some would be disappointed. He paid tribute to staff especially those who had been with the council for a relatively short time and had made valuable contributions. He commended the recommendations in the report to the Executive.

The Executive also had before them an appendix to the report which was not for publication as it contained the following category of exempt information as specified in Schedule 12 of the Local Government (Access to Information Act) 1972: 

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

RESOLVED:-

(i)         that the major changes and challenges currently facing local government be noted;

(ii)        that the broad vision for the future shape and structure of the Council set out in the body of the report from the Chief Executive and in Appendices 1 and 2 of the report be agreed;

(iii)       that the measures already taken to modernise the Council’s structure, staffing and spans of management control as set out in section 4 of the Chief Executive’s report be noted;

(iv)       that agreement be given, subject to the outcome of consultation with staff, to the deletion of the Business Transformation department and the reconfiguration of its functions as set out in section 5 of the report;

(v)        that the other proposed departmental structures as set out in section 5 of the report be endorsed;

(vi)       that the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be authorised to make such other consequential changes as may be needed to give effect to the proposals in the report.