Dudley Council plans to halve number of senior officers

A report to go before the Dudley Council's cabinet proposes reducing the number of top-level executives at the council from 61 to 32 as part of a drive to improve efficiency.

The report, by interim chief executive Balvinder Heran, said the cuts would save the authority £1.2 million a year.

At the moment the authority has eight top-level directors who report to the chief executive, with the post of deputy chief executive currently vacant. 

Under the proposed new structure, they will be reduced to four, with the post of deputy chief executive being declared redundant.

The present directors of adult social care, children's services and public health will be replaced by a group director of people, with lower-level directors taking responsible for the individual divisions.

A group director of communities and growth will replace the present directors of regeneration and enterprise and the environment. A group director of housing and assets will also oversee the functions of compliance, development and regulation, while a group director of core business will oversee finance and management.

It has yet to be confirmed who will take executive responsibility for council finances, which has to be designated by law.

The lower tiers of senior management will also be streamlined, the report said.

The report will be presented to members of the council's ruling Conservative cabinet on December 18. 

A report presented to the cabinet last night (December 11) said the authority was set to run up a shortfall of £34.5 million in the 2024/25 financial year, while its reserves would fall to just £13 in the present financial year.

Interim finance director Brendan Arnold said the council would need to reduce the number of staff it employed.

In a separate report which will also go before next week's cabinet, Mr Arnold said the situation had improved during the present financial year, with the council on track to balance the books for the 2024/25 financial year.

In the latest figures up to the end of October, councillors will be told that the authority is now forecasting an underspend of £5.9 million in the current year.  

Councillor Steve Clark, cabinet member for finance, said: “I am very pleased that the hard work done across the council to face up to the current financial position is producing results.

“There is much work still to do but this is an excellent step forward towards establishing more robust finances.

“We look forward to further progress on the recovery journey in the months ahead.”