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‘TOP BRASS' GO AT CITY HALL
Senior directors to leave as new regime bids to slash red tape
THREE senior members of staff at Westminster Council have accepted voluntary redundancies, sparking fears of a purge as the new chief executive flexed his muscles in a radical shake-up of City Hall.
Graham Ellis, director of organisational change, Derek Barnden, director of property and Colin Wilson, director of legal and administrative services – with a combined 50 years of service between them – have left six-figure-salary jobs.
It comes after new chief executive Mike More pledged to flush out a culture of bureaucracy he claims is damaging the local authority.
Insiders say the directors were given little choice about their futures and that council bosses are living in fear of the chop.
The shock departures, interpreted by some as “clearing out the dead wood”, is the first indication that Mr More’s promise to reshape the council is more than just rhetoric.
In a letter to staff, Mr More, who took over the reins from Peter Rogers in April, mapped out a blueprint for a major overhaul of the way the council operates. He said the redundancies were “part of this process”.
Mr More said he wanted to “create a different style of working” and remove the “internal obstacles and bureaucracy”, include merging four directorates into one super directorate.
?A new post, Director of Resources, will be created to cover IT, procurement, property and HR. This will be taken over by the former director of parking, Alastair Gilchrist.
One council employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “These are the top brass and it is a very significant step. Compared to other local authorities the council has a lot of highly paid directors and a lot of them are thinking it’s going to be them next. This won’t be the last of it.”
Of the three directors, Mr Wilson is the most high profile. Heading up the council’s legal department, he picked up the pieces of Dame Shirley Porter’s fall from grace when she was rumbled for the “homes for votes” scandal in the 90s. He came under heavy criticism from some quarters of the council for not pursuing her vigorously enough.
In his letter, Mr More said: “We need to remove some of the internal obstacles and bureaucracy which inhibits us. We need to speed up some of our decision-making. We need to get better at allowing more risk-taking. We are too centralised.
“The unification of four directorates into one will allow the individual teams to deliver a better overall service.
“As part of this process, Graham Ellis, director of organisational change and Derek Barnden, director of property, have decided to leave the council. Colin Wilson, the council’s director of legal and administrative services will also be leaving the council by the end of the year.”
The changes have been welcomed by the opposition.
Leader of the Labour group Paul Dimoldenberg said: “The new chief executive has quickly identified Westminster’s deep-seated problems.
“A change of culture is needed based on serving residents and delivering better services.
“The Conservatives have allowed the council to struggle under a bloated bureaucracy, paid for by council tax payers, for far too long. We hope these changes lead to better services for residents.”
Mr More went on to thank Mr Wilson.
He said: “Colin has made a significant contribution to the council, often on difficult issues, for nearly 20 years. Once again, I am thankful for the expert advice and leadership Colin has provided and wish him all the best in the future.” |
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