Agenda item

The committee to consider the proposals for the deletion of three posts in the current management structure for the Business Support and Development Business Unit.

The committee considered proposals for the deletion of 3 management posts in the Business Support and Development Business unit.  This was part of the Children and Young People’s reduction in business units from 4 to 2 and contribution to the implementation of the Council’s budget strategy.  The committee were advised that the current functions of the Business Support and Development unit would either be: discontinued, dispersed to another business unit in the Children and Young People’s service, or be incorporated into functions located elsewhere in the Council.

Members noted that the Special Projects Manager post was funded by capital funding which was due to end at 31 March 2011.  The second and third post which was the Head of Commissioning and Head of Administration would be deleted   and the employees would be subject to the Councils re- deployment and redundancy scheme.

Clarification was sought on whether the Council were open to potential claims for breach of contract, from these displaced employees, under single status rules. It was explained to the committee that should the employees be required to leave the Council after their redeployment period ends, their previous posts would be evaluated, according to single status rules, and compensation provided, if required.

With regards to the post of Head of Commissioning and Business Management, the committee asked if this post holder would be eligible to participate in the service function review of Procurement .The committee noted that the outcomes of the service function review of Procurement were expected before the postholder’s likely last day of service .There could then be an assessment to ascertain if there were any senior posts, in the new structure,  that could be applied for.

Details of the composition of ethnicities classed as white other was sought in order to understand if this category was representative of the composition of ethnicities residing in the borough and if there was a disproportionate impact  on some  ethnicity groups as a result of this restructure and saving.   In response it was noted that this detailed information on ethnicity was not available to hand.  To understand if there was an unequal impact on a particular   ethnic group, contained in the white other category, there would need to be comparisons made with the detailed information on ethnicity collated from across the directorate. The committee noted that the initial priority of the Council would be to ensure that the most capable staff was employed whilst also ensuring that the borough’s workforce was reflective of the ethnic composition of the borough.

The committee noted the independent role of equalities officers in checking and signing off the equalities impact assessments and enquired whether it was appropriate for the Assistant Director, who was also the Chair of the Directorate Equalities Forum, to sign the equalities impact assessment.  For example, would this leave the service open to scrutiny or lead to questions around the independence of his view.  The Principal Employment, Corporate and Education Lawyer, advised the committee that there was no conflict of interest with the Assistant Director  who also held  the position of   Chair of the Directorate Equalities Forum, signing off the Equality Impact  Assessment. The Assessment was subject to a quality check by one of the Council’s Equality Officers and was signed off after  that had occurred.

RESOLVED

1. That the committee note that formal consultation on these proposals began on 04 January 2011 and was concluded on 04 February 2011.

2. Note the comments received from staff and trades unions and the management response to these as set out in Appendix 2.

3. That the proposal to delete three posts in the current management structure for the  Business Support and Development   Business unit be agreed.