Council to restructure its team of managers

CARDIFF council is to restructure its senior management team – for the third time in five years.

Each of the changes to Wales’ biggest authority have been under Labour administrations.

When Labour took over control of the council in May 2012 then-leader Heather Joyce increased the number of management roles to 27 directors and assistant directors instead of 18.

But then in 2015 Phil Bale’s administration axed four directors to save £650,000.

Now, under Huw Thomas, four roles will be got rid of but the council say it is a “cost-neutral” move.

Top of the council is chief executive Paul Orders with Christine Salter second in command. There are then six directors and six assistant directors and three other senior managers.

Under the new plans another corporate director role will be created. There will be six director-level roles and seven assistant directors.

New posts of corporate director people and communities, chief digital officer, assistant director corporate landlord, assistant director street scene, and head of democratic services will be created.

But the director of communities, housing and customer services, assistant director for children’s services, enterprise architecture operational manager, and assistant director commercial services will all be deleted.

There are two employees under the proposed senior management model who will potentially lose their jobs as part of the restructure.

If they choose not to reapply or are not successful in applying for a new role they would be made redundant and receive a severance package.

The current director of social services, Tony Young, will retire next year and his role will need to be advertised externally.

His replacement will also directly manage children’s services and the role of assistant director for children’s services will be deleted after five attempts to fill it failed.

The council say it is an “evolution of existing arrangements” to bring resources in line with the agenda of new leader Coun Thomas.

Discussions with affected members of staff and the trade unions have begun.

Once cabinet approve the move next week there will be a consultation period. Then a further report will follow. Leader of the Liberal Democrat group Joe Boyle said: “When Labour created this management-heavy structure after the previous elections we said it was unsustainable.

“Today we have been proved right. The taxpayer has been shouldering a burden for roles that will now be made redundant.

“Hard-working people will also lose their jobs because they have been placed in unsustainable roles. This is a lose-lose situation that would not have arisen if the Labour-run council had better managed its budget.”