Town Hall shake-up to save council £200,000

A PROPOSED shake-up of Warrington Borough Council’s senior management team would save about £200,000 a year.
It would involve a structure based on three directorates – Families and Wellbeing, Economic Regeneration Growth and Environment and Resources and Strategic Commissioning.
There would be a chief executive, three executive directors and a director of public health, supported by 11 assistant directors and chief officers.
This compares with the present situation where there is a chief executive, four executive directors, a director of public health and about 14 assistant directors or equivalent.
The proposed new structure has been prepared by interim chief executive Professor Steven Broomhead (pictured) at the request of the executive board. It will be put to the board’s next meeting.
If approved by full council, it will go forward for consultation with affected staff and the trade unions.
A report to be presented to the board by deputy leader of the council Mike Hannon next week states: The world of local government is fast moving and the council needs a structure that is flexible enough to meet requirements.
“This structure must allow the right balance of professional and technical and leadership and managerial skills at the right level.”
The report states the restructure will deliver strong, active and resilient communities, bring together key services that drive economic growth and build on the robust governance and assurance processes already in place within the council.
The restructure will deliver efficiency savings in the region of £200,000, with the final figure to be confirmed once consultation has been completed.
But further opportunities for savings will also be considered as and when they arise.