Council director axed to save cash

NORTH Somerset Council has cut the post of one of its leading financial directors - at the same time as it is slashing millions from its budgets.

The authority's employment committee has agreed to delete the post of director of finance and resources - currently held by Phil Hall - as part of its sweeping budget reduction plans.

The move will save the authority £165,000 a year in salary costs.

Staff working in the finance and resources directorate will now report to the authority's chief executive officer, Graham Turner.

Mr Hall was one of five directors the council currently employs.

Other directors include Graham Turner, who is chief executive and director of corporate services, David Turner, director of development and environment, Sheila Smith, director of children and young people's services and Jane Smith, director of adult social services and housing.

The authority is currently battling to save £47 million over the next four years to balance its books.

This year alone it has faced making sweeping cuts of £18.6 million.

Employment Committee chairman, Councillor Tony Lake, said: "The number of staff employed in central services has reduced by more than a third in the last two years, largely as a result of outsourcing a number of support functions to the private sector.

"This presents an opportunity to rationalise senior management structures and the employment committee agreed unanimously to endorse the proposal to merge our two central services directorates under the leadership of the chief executive officer, which would result in the deletion of the post of director of finance and resources.

"I should make it clear that this proposal is not a merger of the two roles.

"The chief executive officer role remains, and is crucial to the stability of our organisation given the challenges we continue to face."

As a result of the need to make large savings, job cuts have already begun at the authority but there will be more over the next three years.

Out of a total workforce of about 1,800, nearly 300 jobs will be lost and the number of staff has already been reduced by 120, mostly through axing vacant posts and redeployment.

The news that the authority has cut the post of one of its highest paid officers has been welcomed by opposition councillors.

The authority's Liberal Democrat group had been pressing the authority to make such a move.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Mike Bell, said: "I am pleased that the Conservative administration has reacted positively to our suggestion to cut management costs, which I first made some months ago.

"It is the right decision, though personally I would have deleted the chief executive post and made greater savings still.

"The council faces making massive cuts over the next few years and we must show that savings are being made at the top as well as the bottom.

"Now, we will be looking to see progress on some of the other suggestions that we have made, including withdrawal of the scandalous taxpayer-funded pension scheme for councillors which is costing local people tens of thousands of pounds a year.

"Lining the pockets of councillors in retirement simply cannot be a priority."