Dorset councils unveil plan for joint workforce and single officer structure
Councillors at West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council have approved radical plans to create a single officer structure and joint workforce, the first time such a move has been attempted.
The joint team will be headed by one chief executive and one management team, with the councils hoping to save in the region of £8.5m over the next five years.
The two councils – which provide services to a combined 162,000 residents – have already worked in partnership together for five years in relation to revenues and benefits, saving an estimated £1m.
According to the business case, a single management structure will be implemented quickly and see overall management numbers reduced from 70 to around 55. These reductions will be achieved by a combination of existing vacancies, natural wastage, temporary roles and “where necessary, redundancy”.
The single officer structure could be hosted by one council or with both remaining as employers, with pay harmonised “on a cost neutral basis”.
Over time, staff numbers will be reduced by around 70 jobs, equivalent to 10% of the workforce.
The business case also cited “reduced supply and bought in professional services costs” and a significant cost reduction through shared IT systems and infrastructure as impacts.
It suggested that it may take up to four years – or as little as six months – to fully discharge any one-off costs, which are estimated at between £750,000 and £3.75m.
Under the timetable, a new chief executive will be appointed by December 2010 and the single management team by August 2011 “at the very latest”.
The partnership is then expected to be operational in September 2011, with staff terms and conditions harmonised by April 2013.
Cllr Geoff Petherick, corporate affairs and continuous improvement brief holder at Weymouth and Portland, said: “Although we still face some difficult choices, by sharing our officer structures across two councils, we can make significant savings and efficiencies that can be used to help protect vital services and make improvements where needed.”
Petherick added that Weymouth and Portland had considered how the West Dorset deal would fit in with wider arrangements for collaboration with other public sector providers across Dorset, and with Bournemouth and Poole, “with the aim being to ensure nothing prejudices further wider collaboration in the medium to long term.”
West Dorset District Council Leader Robert Gould said: “We would continue to be two separate authorities, each setting its own budget and council tax. Both would still be able to deliver the services that local people want in the way that is most appropriate for their area.
“But I believe we will be stronger together – the partnership will give us the opportunity to learn from each other and protect valued local services at a time when our government funding is about to fall significantly.
“Along with savings already identified by our efficiency scrutiny committee, and those that will result from the move to new offices in Dorchester, the savings arising from partnership working will help West Dorset maintain most services at their current levels.”
