Consultation on the next stage of the senior management review at Cardiff Council has begun.
Following a reorganisation of posts at Tier 1 and 2 which included Corporate Directors, Chief Officers and Heads of Service, the focus is now going to shift to Tier 3, Operational Managers.
A reorganisation of senior management was agreed by the Executive in December to create a strong team equipped to deliver excellence to the people of Cardiff while protecting frontline services.
A new model proposed will see a reduction of 20 per cent of Operational Management posts. The reorganisation will result in efficiency savings of £2m including approximately £300,000 from Tiers 1 and 2.
A two-week period of consultation with staff affected has now begun with proposals that the number of Operational Managers be reduced through a mixture of voluntary severance, redeployment and not filling existing vacancies. As with any restructure the Council will seek to avoid any compulsory redundancies where possible.
Council Leader Cllr Rodney Berman said, “We have had to accept that we must make hard choices in these difficult financial circumstances but what we are trying to do is make proposals which will better equip us to face the future while protecting frontline services.
“We believe these proposals will build upon existing structures and skills and increase efficiency at a senior level. We also want to make sure that, where possible, the reduction in posts will be achieved through voluntary severance, redeployment and not filling existing vacancies.”
Chief Executive Jon House said, “We are proposing a new OM Management Model which we think will position the organisation to become the Best European City Council by 2015 with a strong and coherently structured senior management team. I believe we will also improve management by having fewer managers.
“We will also be expecting our senior managers to do more just as we are expecting frontline services to do more in these difficult economic times.
“We are now in a period of consultation with those staff affected and I look forward to hearing their views.”
