16 July 2009, 09/150
Downsizing agreed at West Lancs
Council
West Lancashire Borough Council has agreed a
£1.5 million package of spending reductions, jobs cuts and
efficiency measures in order to balance the books during the
recession.
The Council, along with all other local
authorities in the country, is facing financial difficulties
because of cuts in public sector funding and the current global
recession.
In order to minimise the effect on frontline
services for local people, and to protect staff as far as possible,
it has agreed to downsize staffing by a total of 57.4 posts. This
is a mixture of full and part-time posts and the figure includes a
number of positions that are already vacant. The final number of
staff at risk of redundancy is expected to be far lower due to
redeployment, the non-filling of vacant posts and the cessation of
temporary and agency staff contracts. Full consultation has been
held with the trade unions.
The reductions were agreed at a meeting of the
Council on 15 July at which concern was expressed by councillors
from both parties about the economic situation that has forced the
Council to take action.
Cllr Ian Grant, Leader of the Council, said:
“We are an excellent, hard-working council with an outstanding
financial track record and we deeply regret having to take these
steps. But the truth is that the current dire economic situation
gives us no choice.
“This action is forced on us by external
factors including the recession and cuts in government funding. The
outlook for the public sector as a whole is set to worsen
nationally, and by taking these difficult decisions at an early
stage I am confident that West Lancs will be in better shape to
face the tough times ahead.
“I appreciate the difficulties that this
situation causes to the staff who are affected and I assure them
that we have looked at all the possible options and have not taken
these decisions lightly. I am proud that we have acted quickly and
decisively while showing all possible sensitivity in terms of how
our decisions will deliver savings.”
Further
information
The Chief Executive submitted two reports to
the Council meeting on 15 July.
The first report concerned Organisational
Downsizing and involved a review of priorities and non-priorities
across all service areas to reduce staffing costs while maintaining
front-line services.
The second report was on the senior management
structure and recommended the deletion of three Chief Officer
posts, two of which are already vacant (the Executive Manager for
Planning and Development Services and the Executive Manager for
Financial Services.)
The Council’s decisions on the reports are set
out below. Please note that the reports (and appendices) are
confidential documents as they deal with matters relating to
individual employees. They cannot be made available to the press
and public.
All of the changes are scheduled to be
implemented by the end of March 2010.
Organisational downsizing
A. That the Organisational Downsizing proposals set out in
Appendices 1 and 2 to the report be approved, including the summary
of potential savings and costs.
B. That the Chief Executive and
Divisional Managers be given authority to implement the proposals
and to effect the Council’s redundancy and redeployment policies
and procedures as required and matters related to this, including
the use of reserves to fund exit costs.
C. That the Trade Unions’
comments/representations on the proposals, which form part of the
formal consultation process, be noted and the Trade Unions be
advised of the Council’s resolutions.
D. That in the event of any further
formal responses to consultation, received after this meeting, that
the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, be given
delegated authority to receive them and to amend or otherwise the
agreed proposals as necessary to meet the Council’s statutory/legal
responsibilities.
Management restructure
A. That the proposed management
structure and allocation of duties to Divisional Managers, as
outlined in the report and shown at Appendix 1 to the report,
including amended job titles, where appropriate, be agreed, subject
to the creation of the proposed Planning, Regeneration and Estates
Divisions being for a trial period until Council on 24 February
2010, when the Chief Executive will report back with appropriate
recommendations.
B. That the Chief Officers Job Evaluation
Committee be given delegated authority to consider and approve a
review of the Chief Officer salary grading scheme, that the
appointment of Stahrs Limited to undertake a formal review of the
Chief Officers’ salary structure and present appropriate
recommendations to the Committee be agreed, and that in the
meantime, the existing honoraria agreed by Council on 25 February
2009 be extended.
C. That delegated authority be given to
the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and Portfolio
Holders for Finance and Human Resources, to conclude a partnership
arrangement for Human Resources Services with an appropriate
Council (subject to the Council’s financial arrangements for
redundancy and payback period) and to determine the voluntary
redundancy of the Human Resources Manager (Executive Manager Human
Resources), as outlined in paragraph 4.6 of the report, from a date
to be agreed by the Chief Executive, on the present terms and
conditions outlined in the Council’s Redundancy Policy.
D. That the potential overall savings
position, as shown in Appendix 2 to the report, be noted.
E. That the updated Proper
Officer Provisions and Scheme of Delegation be approved to reflect
the changes above and changes in legislation etc., as attached at
Appendix 3 to the report.
Related information