Review part of service delivery changes

The County Council today took the first significant steps towards changing how it delivers services across Staffordshire.

The Council has announced a review of all existing manager and specialist posts which is likely to result in job losses. In addition, it is stopping recruitment until further notice, however steps will be in place to ensure essential posts only are filled and high care standards maintained.

The moves are a vitally important part of a programme to improve services which will result in more local service delivery, more support for vulnerable people and better value for money.

Terry Dix, Leader of the County Council said: "We are currently undertaking a fundamental change in the way we deliver services, and this will see major improvements for the most vulnerable people in Staffordshire.

"Along with other local authorities we are working with partners to find ways to save money and ensure all possible resources are directed to those people who need it most'.

Mr Dix added: "It makes sense not to recruit people into some posts until we have considered the outcome of the reviews and know the future shape of the Council'.

The County Council is undertaking a number of initiatives in order to reshape service delivery. They are:

Service review - looking at all services and evaluating their impact and efficiency
Organisation review - changing the Council's management structure
Customer First - which will improve access to the Council and its services
Job evaluation - which is creating a new, fairer pay structure for employees
Local Area Agreement - a formal agreement between the County Council, Government and partners such as district councils to make all local government services more seamless

Nigel Pursey, Chief Executive said: "I appreciate today's news will cause some anxiety among our staff. They are our most important resource and we are absolutely determined to be as open about this process as possible.

"Our priority has to be to deliver effective frontline services to the most vulnerable people in society, so we need to look at how we use our resources very carefully."

Staffordshire County Council employs around 30,000 staff
The recruitment restrictions will mainly apply to management, administrative and professional posts. There will be some exempt posts. The restriction will begin on 18th April 2006.
Discussions with the unions have already started on the overall proposals.
The organisational review will, in the first instance, consider around 500 manager and specialist posts. At this stage, the number of job losses is not known.

Page Last Modified: 30/01/2007 16:05:33

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