Senior Leadership Arrangements

Name of policies to be assessed

1. What is the main purpose of the policies?

The new Strategic Director roles within the senior team will be different to the Assistant Director roles. The focus will no longer be on leading a set of defined services but to be responsible for the Council’s strategic priorities and outcomes and provide strategic leadership over key drivers including resources, organisational culture, environmental sustainability and reducing inequalities.

The arrangements will involve Group Managers becoming service delivery heads with full autonomy to operate services whilst being accountable to the senior leadership team.

2. What main areas or activities does the policies cover?

Strategic leadership of the council

3. Are there changes to an existing policy being considered in this assessment?

The new senior management arrangements will necessitate a change to the Scheme of Delegation as roles and accountabilities of the Senior Board and GMT within the wider leadership team are redefined.

4. Who are the main audience, users or customers who will be affected by the policy?

The main groups who will be affected by the policy are:

Cabinet
Councillors, managers and staff.

5. What outcomes does the Council want to achieve from the policy?

The changes aim to deter households from claiming Council Tax discounts that they aren’t or are no longer eligible for. The expected outcomes include:

A total of £200k has been achieved from the changes in the senior management arrangements.
The creation of the Senior Leadership Board will mean the Board will focus on delivering the strategic priorities and outcomes and provide strategic leadership over key drivers including resources, organisational culture, environmental sustainability and reducing inequalities.

6. Are other service areas or partner agencies involved in delivery?

Precepting authorities (Essex County Council, Fire and Police) have an interest in the Council maximising Council Tax Collection.

7. Relevant information, data, surveys or consultations

This is an internal review of the council’s management arrangements. It has been informed by the Red Quadrant review which identified the principles that should underpin the leadership structure as follows:

Fluidity and flexibility without hierarchy

Distributed and inclusive leadership
Outward looking focus
Agreement on common purpose, outcomes and priorities
Clearer accountability, more autonomy, cross organisational working
Drive a progressive, inclusive and diverse culture
Remain open to dynamic change
Enable leaders to lead with discretion

8. The ‘general duty’

The ‘general duty’ states that we must have “due regard” to the need to:

eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
advance equality of opportunity between people who share a ‘protected characteristic²’ and those who do not³
foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not⁴

Not all policies help us to meet the ‘general duty’, but most do.

This policy helps us to meet the ‘general duty’ by:

The 3 principal duties of the Equality Act will be at the forefront of the Senior Management Board in terms of advancing equal opportunity for staff and residents, fostering good relations and eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

9. Disproportionate impacts

This section helps us to identify any disproportionate impacts. We will indicate whether the policy is likely to particularly benefit or disadvantage any of the 'protected characteristics'.

The focus of the Board is to provide strategic leadership over key drivers including resources, organisational culture, environmental sustainability and reducing inequalities.