Friday 18 October 2013

Proposed amendments to Highland Council Service structure

 Extract from HC Press Release HERE

...Highland Councillors will be asked next week to amend the Council’s Service structure to align teams into five Services rather than the current seven, delivering year-on-year savings of £350,000 from 2014/15.


...The proposed new Services are:-
•  Children, Education and Adult Services
•  Finance
•  Corporate Development
•  Capital and Development
•  Community Services

 ...“The need to focus on improving the economy and creating jobs underpins the proposal to create a new Capital and Development Directorate in which all of the resources of the Council delivering capital developments are aligned with our teams which are supporting economic improvement.


Where will 'Planning and Development' fit?


Well this is Item 18 on the Agenda for next Thursday's Full Council meeting


18.  Proposed Amendments to Service Structure
Atharrachaidhean air am Moladh do Structar nan Seirbheisean

There is circulated Report No. HC-51-13 (990kb pdf) dated 14 October 2013 by the Chief Executive which details proposals to amend the Council’s Service structure to align teams into 5 Services rather than the current 7. The paper also describes the reasons for the changes and notes that a saving of £350k per annum will be delivered.

The Council is invited to agree:-

i.  the amendments to the Service structure as contained in Paragraphs 2.3 to
    2.8 and also summarised in Appendix 2 and that these be implemented in 2
    phases by 30 September 2014;
ii. that consultation with Trade Unions and Senior Managers should take place
    from 25 October 2013 and that detailed proposals relating to the deployment
    and responsibilities of posts in Service Management Teams be brought to the
    Council on 19 December 2013; and
iii. that the remits of Strategic Committees be reviewed to achieve better
    alignment with the revised Service structure and that a report and
    recommendations be brought to the Council on 19 December 2013.



The Committee Report  indicates in Appendix 2 (on the last page) that 'Planning' will sit in the new Directorate of 'Capital and Development'

Director of Capital & Development

Planning 
Capital 
Projects 
Housing Devt 
Design 
Energy Mgt. 
Economic 
Devt 
Europe 
Environment 
Assets 

Update - 'Biodiversity Offsetting'


For more info on the topic see item from 'Planning Resource'

How We Did It - Developer 'offsets' housing's impact on nature


(Project: Oxfordshire biodiversity offsetting scheme)