Minutes:
The Committee considered the undernoted report:
“1.0 Relevant Background Information
1.1The Council is facing an unprecedented agenda of significant HR and organisational development (OD) challenges, many of which are currently being managed through individual projects. These include:
· Local Government Reform – service convergence (transfer of staff, harmonisation of terms and conditions), transfer of functions (organisation design, capacity building of staff and members), new powers and legislative requirements (organisation/member/officer capacity), revised role for members, new governance and shadow governance arrangements and related programme of capacity building. In particular the new place shaping powers will require a transformation of the entire organisation.
· Governance and the future shape of committees in the new Council will also set the context for future organisational design and development work.
· Leisure Transformation Programme – TU negotiations, new operating model, transfer of staff, TUPE, communication issues and organisational design implications.
· Investment Programme – job opportunities and work placements and staff implications of Waterfront Hall extension and operating model
· Efficiency Programme – staff costs including management of absence, agency staff and overtime. Efficiency reviews including review of Security, Fleet and Procurement.
· Diversity and equality - Review of Good and Harmonious Working Environment; Equal Pay Review; Article 55, Equality Framework and Action Plans; and Gender Action Plan.
· Best Practice Employer – Living Wage; Casual Workers protocol; Corporate IiP; Health and Well Being Strategy and employee engagement.
2.0Key Issues
2.1Organisational Development and Design
While the aforementioned HR and OD issues are progressing well within these individual projects, Members are aware that there are only 12 months to the formation of the new Council and there are still considerable challenges ahead.
Members are also aware of the following recent or imminent developments:
· The Governance report which was presented to the STC suggested that from June a process is put in place to develop a future organisational development and design and to identify the timeframes for implementation, bearing in mind that the imperative will be to deliver the new functions and to provide services to the new areas on day one of the new Council;
· The Chief Executive of the new Council has been recruited;
· The leisure transformation programme decision will be ratified at the next Council meeting;
· The recommended new/shadow governance arrangements and high level capacity building needs have been agreed by STC;
· A notice of motion relating to the early development of a planning resource was referred to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee from the last Council meeting.
Members have expressed a desire for a timely piece of work in relation to organisation development to ensure the council is fit for purpose in terms of organisation design and capacity. This needs to be far reaching, joined up, planned and resourced and led by Members.
This programme of work will be a crucial element of the Corporate Plan to be presented to Members in June and will cut across each of the shadow committees’ work; it will need to integrate all of the aforementioned HR and OD issues and Members’ organisation design priorities and will ensure independencies are highlighted. The programme will be broken down into manageable phases of work and will also be included in the council’s programme management arrangements; it will need a detailed, resourced and prioritised action plan; it will be aligned to the Council’s other strategic priorities and business as usual; and progress will be reported to Members on an ongoing basis.
It is proposed therefore that a draft Organisational Development Strategy for taking forward this significant programme of work will be presented to Members in June 2014 in order that an overall strategic approach may be agreed with initial priorities identified. A detailed programme of work developed thereafter.
2.2Immediate Issues
As the strategy and action plan are developed, immediate OD issues will arise that will need Member decisions in advance of the overall programme. At this point in time there are two HR/OD priority actions that Members need to consider before then – preparation for the transfer of planning functions to Belfast City Council and the need to deal with the void created by the promotion of the Director of Health and Environmental Services to Chief Executive. Key issues and proposals on these matters are set out below.
2.2.1 Preparation for the transfer of planning functions to Belfast City Council
Members have been updated previously on the transfer of a wide range of functions and statutory duties to Belfast City Council on 1st April 2015, the most significant of which are planning and urban regeneration. It is imperative that Members achieve assurance that the Council will be ready to discharge its responsibilities on 1st April 2015 in these areas. The Council will need to develop strategic, tactical and operational capability.
Planning and urban regeneration need to be closely interwoven so that the Council can maximise its ‘place shaping’ opportunities and whilst the recommendations below relate primarily to the planning function, they are made with this inter-relationship in mind.
In respect of Planning, the Council must be prepared and ready to determine planning applications and enforce planning decisions from 1st April 2015 – functions referred to collectively as Development Control. It will also need to start the detailed process of developing the local area plan.
The Council currently has limited capability in Development Control or local area planning and whilst resource will transfer from DOE, there is an urgent need to assess the gaps and ensure that the design of the Council’s future planning team is fit for purpose and will support strategic city planning and regeneration and deliver the aspirations of the new Council. The Council therefore urgently requires external assistance to carry out this assessment and provide expert support in the transition period.
It is likely that a range of skills will be needed to support the Council in this transition period and that these would best be sourced through a procurement process. A budget has already been set aside for this through the transitions fund.
A further report on legal support which will include specific legal support for planning functions will be brought to Committee at a later date.
behind that preference is as follows:
2.2.2 Director of Health and Environmental Services Role
Given the complexity of the post of Director of Health and Environmental Services, the level of organisational change already ongoing within the Council, the planned organisation redesign and the scale of local government reform, it is proposed that the primary duties of the post of Director of Health and Environmental Services and the additional LGR duties associated with this role are split into two strands:- (i) strategic and change management responsibilities and (ii) oversight and co-ordination of the four service operations of the Building Control, Cleansing Services, Waste Management and Environmental Health services.
Strategic and change management responsibilities
The degree of change needed within the Health and Environmental Services Department and within the various partnerships on which the department leads, will require both experienced leadership and the continued utilisation of all existing resource to support that change and to manage business as usual. The capacity of the department is currently stretched in meeting these challenges and it is therefore recommended that this aspect of the duties is provided via external support. Key aspects of this role will be:
· Strategic planning
· Change management
· Development of the Belfast Strategic Partnership, Good Relations Partnerships and PCSPs in light of community planning
· Oversight of the transition of service delivery in the new areas coming in from Castlereagh and Lisburn
· Strategic waste responsibilities
· Oversight of the transfer of relevant functions related to Health and Environmental Services
· Building capacity, organisational processes, partnerships and negotiations to shape and implement the outcome of Local Government Reform
Externally sourced interim management solutions are increasingly being used in local government to obtain highly experienced managers with strategic skills and a track record at crucial times of change. There would also be minimal ‘lead-in growth time’ and it would enable significant flexibility for future re-design.
Internal oversight and co-ordination of service operations
In terms of the oversight and co-ordination of service operations it is proposed that this is covered by a designated officer from the next tier of management within the Health and Environmental Services Department on an interim honorarium basis.
As there is more than one next tier manager within the department and as this is considered a development opportunity, it is proposed to seek expressions of interest from them to undertake the additional, higher-level duties. Should more than one officer express an interest in these additional duties, a merit based selection process will take place, involving elected members.
3.0Resource Implications
3.1The procurement of external planning consultancy services has been allowed for in the Transition budget.
3.2In relation to the arrangements to cover the Director of Health and Environmental Services role, given the proposed interim approach, remuneration would be made in the form of consultancy and honoraria payments. It is proposed that, to ensure the budget is not exceeded, the interim professional manager would cover the strategic and LGR responsibilities of the post on a two or three day per week basis for an interim period of 9 -12 months, subject to review.
4.0Equality and Good Relations Implications
4.1None.
5.0Recommendations
5.1Members are asked to:
1. Agree the suggested approach to a Council Organisation Development Strategy and associated programme of work: to include Members’ organisational design priorities and the significant HR/OD and capacity challenges the Council is facing
2. Agree to initiate a procurement process for external planning expertise to support the Council in its preparation for the transfer of planning and urban regeneration functions and to give the necessary delegated authority to the Chief Executive (Designate) to award the contracts to the most economically advantageous tenders; and
3. Agree to the suggested interim arrangements for the Director of Health and Environmental Services role (in accordance with Council HR policy and procedures) and to the procurement of an interim professional manager for 9 – 12 months (in accordance with Council procurement procedures).”
The Committee adopted the recommendations.
Supporting documents: