Issue - meetings

The committee to consider an overview of the proposed restructuring of the Urban Environment Directorate and the creation of a Place and Sustainability Directorate. The report will seek agreement for some restructure decisions  in this service to be made by delegated authority by the Chair of General Purposes Committee and the Director following consultation and consideration of the equality impact assessments.

The Chair welcomed Anne Lippitt, the newly appointed interim Director of Urban Environment to the meeting.

The Director provided an overview of the proposed restructuring of the Urban Environment directorate and further provided information on the plans for the new directorate to be named Place and Sustainability. The Committee had received   reports on the constituent parts of the Urban Environment restructure, namely disestablishment of Neighbourhood Management and on Property services. This report detailed the future decisions required by General Purposes Committee on the restructure of the directorate and included those decisions already taken by delegated authority.

The Director referred to the directorate structure charts for phase 1 of the restructuring process and phase 2, to provide Members with a picture of which services will be located in the directorate and the number of senior officers managing these services.

One of the key services was the creation of the single frontline service, a report on this would be considered by the Committee on the 29^th March. There were currently 56 vacancies across frontline services and 65 new posts being created as part of the new service with 107 posts for deletion.

 A further report would follow to Committee on developing a shared economic service with Waltham Forest Council. Cabinet had endorsed the development of this shared service which would focus on priorities around employment, skills and attracting investment for business and enterprise.  The Committee also learned that a Carbon Management service would be created  which would comprise of  the services in UE and Housing that  need to work together to meet the key  Council policy of managing the borough’s carbon footprint. A further detailed report would follow on this to Committee in May which would list the services and post holders coming together to form this service.

The significant restructures detailed above would involve changes to the establishment of 20 posts or more and were programmed to be considered by the Committee at future meetings.   Further restructures,   where there were less than 20 posts significantly affected, and where there no substantial issues raised in the consultation period, were proposed to be agreed by the Director in consultation with the Chair of the Committee.

Members sought clarification on the management of the Property services as this area was not listed as being covered by a senior post in phase 2 of the reorganisation of the service. Members learned that following the implementation of phase 1 of the reorganisation, as outlined by the Rethinking Haringey report, there would be a further review of functions entailing a reduction in the number of assistant director posts. This would mean that an assistant director post would be managing asset managements and direct services.

 In relation to the restructure of the Culture Libraries and Learning understanding was sought on the reduction in library staff as there would be a need to staff this continuing service.  It was noted that there were currently 3 vacant senior posts, two of which, the Assistant Director for Culture Libraries and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 103