Agenda item

Addendum to the report

With reference to Article 17 of the minute of its meeting of 23 August 2017, the Council had before it a report by the Chief Executive which presented proposals for the Council’s senior management structure below Director level for approval.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          note the update on, and feedback to, the programme of engagement with stakeholders on the development of the Target Operating Model and feedback to consultation on the proposed interim functional structure, together with officer responses to that feedback, as set out in Appendix A;

(b)          note the feedback to consultation on the proposed interim functional structures from Trades Unions, together with officer responses to that feedback, as detailed in Appendix B, and to further note that engagement and consultation with Trades Unions will continue to be a priority as the Target Operating Model is implemented;

(c)          approve the proposed interim functional structure shown in Appendix C, including the proposed establishment of Governance, City Growth and Place functions;

(d)          approve the proposed Tier 2 Chief Officer posts, related job profiles and salary levels, as detailed in Appendix D and the addendum to the report;

(e)          approve the Job Matching Process for Tier 2 Chief Officer posts as set out in Appendix E, for the purposes of implementing this phase of the Target Operating Model and to instruct the Chief Executive to undertake recruitment to those Tier 2 Chief Officer posts which are not filled through the Job Matching Process or the redeployment of displaced Heads of Service, in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders and Scheme of Delegation, and agree that an Appointment Panel be established comprising nine members (2 Conservative, 2 Labour, 1 Independent, 3 SNP and 1 Liberal Democrat) to recruit to any unfilled Chief Officer posts that require to be advertised;

(f)           instruct the Chief Executive to develop further the Council’s organisational design to implement the Target Operating Model and submit recommendations for change, as necessary, to the Strategic Transformation Committee; and

(g)          note the previous instruction to the Chief Executive to report to Council in March 2018, on proposals for an institutional governance framework for the Council and a broader placed based urban governance framework, and to instruct the Chief Executive to consider the portfolios, and position within the organisational structure, of Governance, City Growth and City Planning within these proposals.

Councillor Laing moved, seconded by Councillor Wheeler:-

            That the Council -

(1)      approve recommendations (a) to (f) as outlined above; and

(2)      note the previous instruction to the Chief Executive to report to Council in March 2018, on proposals for an institutional governance framework for the Council and a broader placed based urban governance framework, and to instruct the Chief Executive to consider the portfolios, and position within the organisational structure of Governance, City Growth, City Planning and the City Centre Masterplan within future proposals.

Councillor Flynn moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

            That the Council -

(1)      note the content of the report, agree that change is necessary within the organisation and that £15million of reserves has been allocated towards a Transformation Fund;

(2)      furthermore, note that the savings identified through changes to the Tier 1 structure, as identified in item 9(d) of the meeting of Full Council on 23 August 2017, and the Tier 2 structure as identified in the report today have a combined total of just £1,813,725 over the course of five years;

(3)      does not believe that the level of detail provided to date provides members with the necessary assurances in relation to how and where the remaining £123,186,275 of savings over five years will be identified;

(4)      does believe that -

a.    the structure as proposed in the report, rather than simplify processes, appears overly complex and replaces silos with new silos;

b.    any new structure should include a senior post held by an educational professional with specific remit for education; and

c.    any new structure should include a senior post with a remit for the successful implementation of the City Centre Masterplan;

(5)      based on the above, and information provided to members to date, express no confidence in the Target Operating Model; and

(6)      therefore instruct the Chief Executive, at the earliest opportunity, to provide a report to a meeting of Full Council with a structure which addresses these points.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Bell, Boulton, Lesley Dunbar, Duncan, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Hunt, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden, Macdonald, Avril MacKenzie, Malik, Mason MSP, Reynolds, Sellar, Jennifer Stewart and Wheeler.

For the amendment  (22)  -  Councillors Allard, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Delaney, Jackie Dunbar, Flynn, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, Catriona MacKenzie, McLellan, McRae, Nicoll, Noble, Samarai, Sandy Stuart, Townson and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

In terms of Standing Order 29.7, Councillors Allard, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Delaney, Jackie Dunbar, Flynn, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, Catriona MacKenzie, McLellan, McRae, Nicoll, Noble, Samarai, Sandy Stuart, Townson and Yuill intimated their dissent against the foregoing decision.