Senior council heads to roll

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Senior Executives of Rochdale Borough Council are facing redundancy as part of the Council’s ‘efficiency programme’.

The number of Executive Leadership Team members is to be reduced from the existing 5 to 3.5 and the number of Heads of Service is to be reduced from 18 to 12.

A spokesperson for the Council has confirmed to Rochdale Online that there is not yet a list of Heads of Service who will be leaving compiled. Each Head of Service is discussing their future with the relevant executive director at present – some may decide to leave voluntarily, but where this is not the case, there will be a competitive process for the jobs that remain.

Two types of review are being carried out and are expected to complete them by April 2010 with the introduction of a new management structure fully implemented by 2011.

The reviews:

• One type will be carried out by the council service – a type of self-evaluation with service level suggestions for change and efficiency. Service reviews will be scrutinised to make sure that suggestions are sound and they will be subject to robust challenge and further suggestion.
• Four cross-cutting thematic reviews looking at ‘People’ (children, school, family and care services), ‘Customers’, ‘Place’ and ‘Core’ (corporate functions such as finance, HR, policy and performance, for example).

Voluntary redundancies are not being sought as the Council believes asking for wholesale redundancies is not the best way to achieve the outcomes they want.

An all-party group of councillors has been set up to deal with the Efficiency Programme and ensure appropriate political oversight and input.