(Leader of Council) To consider the attached report (C-027-2016/17).
Decision:
(1) That a fixed term contract extension of eighteen months be offered to the Head of Transformation and a fixed term contract extension of one year be offered to the Programme Improvement Officer; and
(2) That amounts of £90,340 for 2017/18 and £59,010 for 2018/19 be earmarked in the District Development Fund to pay for the contract extensions.
Minutes:
The Leader of Council presented a report on the future resourcing and provision of funding for the Transformation Programme.
The Leader reminded the Cabinet that the Council had initiated a Transformation Programme in 2015, led by the Chief Executive and Management Board, championed by the Leader and the Cabinet and supported by a Head of Transformation and the Programme Improvement Officer. These two posts were funded within the 2016/17 budget and were on fixed-term contracts, with the Head of Transformation’s contract running to the end of April 2017 and the Programme Improvement Officer’s contract to the end of August 2017.
The Leader reported that significant progress had been made in transforming the Council over the last eleven months, including the delivery of savings and establishment of improved ways of working, which would help the authority to be ‘a Council fit for the twenty-first century’. It was clear that, for the Council to sustain the momentum and benefits flowing from the Transformation Programme, both posts need to be extended. Therefore, it was proposed that both contracts be extended, by 18 months for the Head of Transformation and by 12 months for the Programme Improvement Officer, with the supporting growth bids from the District Development Fund.
Members of the Cabinet expressed their support for the proposals, and the Transformation Programme, and highlighted that it would cost the Council more if the staff costs were met by the Continuing Services Budget rather than the District Development Fund. The Cabinet agreed that it would be correct to extend the current fixed term contracts at this point, in order to evaluate the results from the Programme over the next 18 months. The Leader added that some substantial projects would have been completed by then, and the Council would be in a better position to make further decisions concerning the future of the Programme.
Decision:
(1) That a fixed term contract extension of eighteen months be offered to the Head of Transformation and a fixed term contract extension of one year be offered to the Programme Improvement Officer; and
(2) That amounts of £90,340 for 2017/18 and £59,010 for 2018/19 be earmarked in the District Development Fund to pay for the contract extensions.
Reasons for Decision:
A decision on the future state of the Transformation Programme team was required to ensure effective management and delivery of the programme as, through the Corporate Plan 2015-20, the Council was committed to both the improvement of services to residents as well as robust financial management to keep Council Tax low.
It was necessary to limit the extension for the Programme Improvement Officer to avoid the combined periods of his contracts exceeding four years and inadvertently creating a permanent post.
Other Options Considered and Rejected:
To procure the specialist and technical skills required for the successful management of change from outside the Council. However, this would be both less efficient then the current arrangement and more costly.
To add the posts to the establishment and include them in the Continuing Services Budget (CSB). However, this would require CSB growth of £90,340 in 2017/18 and £20,360 in 2018/19.
To fail to maintain an ongoing review of the Council’s processes and procedures. However, this would result in stagnation and, against a backdrop of financial constraints, there was a risk that this would lead to reduced services and/or increases in Council Tax.