Agenda item

Report by the County Solicitor & Monitoring Officer (CC9).

The County Council faces very serious funding challenges, with all political parties signalling that they expect to have to make significant spending cuts after the general election. Over recent years local government has delivered enormous savings but it is anticipated that it will be expected to bear much of the brunt of these further cuts, as health and education and others are protected.

The view of the Leader of the Council is that a new operating model is needed to address these issues, in order to enable the Council to continue to deliver the outcomes residents deserve and ensure value for money for tax payers.

The Leader therefore proposes that the traditional model of a Chief Executive and separate Directorates needs to be modernised to reduce costs and embrace a more distributed model of managerial leadership with closer working between officers and councillors, and building on our existing partnerships. 

It is considered that removing the paid post of Chief Executive and redistributing its responsibilities, including the statutory role of Head of Paid Service would achieve both savings and a more streamlined, distributed management structure more fitted to the challenges facing the Council in the future.

This report therefore seeks Full Council’s approval for the removal of the post of Chief Executive and the consequent dismissal by redundancy of the current post holder, and Head of Paid Service, Joanna Simons.

Council is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)          note that no objections from Cabinet Members have been received, and so agree the removal of the post of Chief Executive from the Council’s organisational structure;

(b)          agree the dismissal by redundancy of the current Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, Joanna Simons, on the terms outlined in this report; and, in consequence,

(c)          ask the Remuneration Committee to submit recommendations to Council as to the appointment of a Head of Paid Service;

(d)          agree to receive a further report, following decisions by Cabinet under paragraph 16 above, detailing other consequential appointments, delegations and organisational matters, for Council consideration;

(e)          authorise the County Solicitor to make any consequential amendments to the Constitution as a result of these decisions;

(f)           thank Joanna Simons for her dedicated service to the Council as Chief Executive over the last ten years.

The County Council faced very serious funding challenges, with all political parties signalling that they expect to have to make significant spending cuts after the general election. Over recent years local government had delivered enormous savings but it was anticipated that it would be expected to bear much of the brunt of these further cuts, as health and education and others were protected.

The view of the Leader of the Council was that a new operating model was needed to address these issues, in order to enable the Council to continue to deliver the outcomes residents deserved and ensure value for money for tax payers.

The Leader therefore proposed that the traditional model of a Chief Executive and separate Directorates needed to be modernised to reduce costs and embrace a more distributed model of managerial leadership with closer working between officers and councillors, and building on our existing partnerships. 

It was considered that removing the paid post of Chief Executive and redistributing its responsibilities, including the statutory role of Head of Paid Service would achieve both savings and a more streamlined, distributed management structure more fitted to the challenges facing the Council in the future.

This Council considered a report (CC9) which sought Full Council’s approval for the removal of the post of Chief Executive and the consequent dismissal by redundancy of the current post holder, and Head of Paid Service.

Councillor Hudspeth moved and Councillor Rose seconded the recommendations as set out in the report and on the face of the Agenda.

Councillor Brighouse moved and Councillor Fawcett seconded the following amendment:

(a)          note that no objections from Cabinet Members have been received, and so agree the removal of the post of Chief Executive from the Council’s organisational structure;

(b)          agree the dismissal by redundancy of the current Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, Joanna Simons, on the terms outlined in this report; and, in consequence,

(c)          ask the Remuneration Committee to submit recommendations to Council as to the appointment of a Head of Paid Service;

(d)          agree to receive a further report, following decisions by Cabinet under paragraph 16 above, detailing other consequential appointments, delegations and organisational matters, for Council consideration;

(e)          authorise the County Solicitor to make any consequential amendments to the Constitution as a result of these decisions;

(f)           thank Joanna Simons for her dedicated service to the Council as Chief Executive over the last ten years.

(a)          defer the decision to remove the post of Chief Executive from the Council’s organisational structure;

(b)         ask the Audit & Governance Committee to examine the issues raised by the Leader in this report, including those related to Governance, Finance and Management and risk assess any change from the traditional model which has served Oxfordshire well since 1974. The resulting report to be considered by the Cabinet;

(c)          agree to receive a report from the Cabinet on all of the consequential matters before taking this important, far-reaching and potentially expensive decision.

Following debate, the amendment was put to the vote and was lost by 34 votes to 27.

The substantive motion was then put to the vote and was carried by 33 votes to 27, with 1 abstention.