Fresh shake-up for bosses at Bradford Council questioned

7:00am Thursday 27th September 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Jo Winrow, City Hall Reporter

Opposition political leaders in Bradford have condemned a restructure among top managers at Bradford Council 18 months after the last £1 million cost-cutting exercise.

Union bosses have confirmed that a shake-up at strategic director and assistant director level is in the early stages but they had no concrete proposals.

The Telegraph & Argus understands that one or two strategic directorships are likely to go, along with two or more assistant directorships.

Councillor Glen Miller , leader of the Conservative group, said he had a number of questions about any senior management restructure, having not be consulted on any proposals to date: “There are several very important questions to be asked and answered, such as why is there a need for a senior management re-shuffle, so soon after we had one to provide the Council with the structure that it needed for the future?

“Why were whatever factors that necessitate this latest re-structure not foreseen and responded to during the last re-structure, to minimise upheaval and uncertainty for service delivery and residents?

“Why does this exercise appear to be taking place in such secrecy? If and why any roles are redundant, details of new roles and costs and savings would also be details I would enquire about.”

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland , leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said she was concerned the Council would become “paralysed” by news of another restructure so soon after the last one.

“We have not fully finished the last restructure, through the Changing Our Council programme, and we have not had all the financial benefits yet that the last restructure was supposed to bring, despite paying thousands of pounds to consultants to achieve it.”

The Council said it was not in a position to comment on any possible restructuring. Labour leader Councillor David Green was unavailable for comment last night.

Comments(19)

collos25 says...
7:27am Thu 27 Sep 12

Lets restructure the restructure just goes to show what sort of people we elect in this city after all its only tax payers money.

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dazp says...
8:40am Thu 27 Sep 12

“There are several very important questions to be asked and answered, such as why is there a need for a senior management re-shuffle, so soon after we had one to provide the Council with the structure that it needed for the future?
ANSWER so they can walk away with a golden hand shake and full pension when the rest of the work force get bummed

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Bacon Bantam says...
9:39am Thu 27 Sep 12

Barra has delivered nothing for his £150k per year. He should go, Mr Reeves also appears to add nothing to the City so there is another £200k saving right there.

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angry bradfordian says...
9:44am Thu 27 Sep 12

“Why were whatever factors that necessitate this latest re-structure not foreseen and responded to during the last re-structure, to minimise upheaval and uncertainty for service delivery and residents?"

It sounds like David Brent is running the Tories on the council!


I'm not sure what the problem is with reviewing the management structure 'just' 18 months after the last review. Most major organisations do this on an almost monthly basis.
If there's evidence that there are too many management positions then it's the right thing to change it if it saves jobs at the coalface. The unions are usually complaining about too many 'Chiefs' and not enough 'Indians'

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vikksy says...
11:56am Thu 27 Sep 12

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland , leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said she was concerned the Council would become “paralysed” by news of another restructure so soon after the last one
>
Our council have been "paralysed" for the last ten years

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Prisoner Cell Block A says...
12:17pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Our council deserve paralysing, much more so than any person who through no fault of their own is paralysed. I have never heard of such a group of imcompetent idiots getting away with so much folly for so long.

As we have changed some of those in power on the council I think maybe the electorate need to look at themselves and all vote en masse for one non-mainstream party and I don't mean RESPECT or their polar opposite the BNP.

Monster Raving Loonies would have at least seen some projects through to completion, this set of fools cannot even implement a back office plan. I don't trust any one of them with our city.

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Yorkshire Lass says...
12:27pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Truth would be good for the Citizens. After all, who pays the salaries? I think we have a right to know what's going off in this City.

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SouthEastAsianBradfordian says...
12:56pm Thu 27 Sep 12

The less top heavy we are in the council (i.e less directors/assistant directors/ senior managers on special wages the better, at least then we can be in a position to created more job or save jobs for those at the bottom of the pile. If an assistant director is on about £150K, then surely that would be equal to 7 peoples wages at the bottom of the structure, and 7 more people to actually carry out the day to day functions and services. Restructure...Bring it on (just make sure it doesn't cost hundreds of thousands in the process!!

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Johsay says...
1:14pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Agree, Barra & Tony can go.

I've not seen a CEO treat his customers (the paying public via council tax) with such disdain as Mr Reeves does.

Like Barra, talks a good game but in reality clueless.

Never trust a man who thinks he needs £2.3m to run his own CEO's office for the year.

Unemployed lose council tax benefit whilst Tony reckons he needs £2.3m to run his office?

Detached from reality.

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Johsay says...
1:14pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Agree, Barra & Tony can go.

I've not seen a CEO treat his customers (the paying public via council tax) with such disdain as Mr Reeves does.

Like Barra, talks a good game but in reality clueless.

Never trust a man who thinks he needs £2.3m to run his own CEO's office for the year.

Unemployed lose council tax benefit whilst Tony reckons he needs £2.3m to run his office?

Detached from reality.

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Johsay says...
1:35pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Agree, Barra & Tony can go.

I've not seen a CEO treat his customers (the paying public via council tax) with such disdain as Mr Reeves does.

Like Barra, talks a good game but in reality clueless.

Never trust a man who thinks he needs £2.3m to run his own CEO's office for the year.

Unemployed lose council tax benefit whilst Tony reckons he needs £2.3m to run his office?

Detached from reality.

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Johsay says...
1:35pm Thu 27 Sep 12

So good I said it thrice.

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Bacon Bantam says...
1:39pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Johsay wrote:
So good I said it thrice.
It was worth saying several times.

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Yorkshire Lass says...
3:53pm Thu 27 Sep 12

SouthEastAsianBradfo
rdian wrote:
The less top heavy we are in the council (i.e less directors/assistant directors/ senior managers on special wages the better, at least then we can be in a position to created more job or save jobs for those at the bottom of the pile. If an assistant director is on about £150K, then surely that would be equal to 7 peoples wages at the bottom of the structure, and 7 more people to actually carry out the day to day functions and services. Restructure...Bring it on (just make sure it doesn't cost hundreds of thousands in the process!!
Don't forget if these top salary earners are facing redundancy they will receive a fantastic payout and also a great pension-pot. However, knowing our Council maybe the positions are being reorganised to allow an even bigger salary for them. Whatever happens it is probably going to cost the tax payers more.

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dontbedaft says...
6:10pm Thu 27 Sep 12

ok so get rid of workers in last restructure. Then when the time comes to do the same at director level, all the councillors and unions say no. Well thats fare is'nt it? I wonder what the workers think of that?

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Z.Raja says...
8:03pm Thu 27 Sep 12

There are lots of talented business persons in Bradford whose businesses are at the verge of bankruptcies due to council,s directors efficiency. They can do these jobs more efficiently and can work at the fraction of the cost. Otherwise our city can perform better without them.

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baildon dog walker says...
9:05pm Thu 27 Sep 12

SO THERE SHOULD BE CUTS AT THE TOP, too much spent on big wages for these hand full of people on the highest wages, and these people are not needed.
let the bradford people see results in saving money the council told us they would save. not just saying they was going to do it? get rid of them.

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Willard says...
8:50am Fri 28 Sep 12

What is wrong with just dismissing them on grounds of capability as happens in the private sector? Once more Public sector managers fail to deliver, earn hundreds of thousands, compare their wages to private sector and yet fail to deliver on promises. Sack em I says

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Prisoner Cell Block A says...
9:26am Fri 28 Sep 12

Willard wrote:
What is wrong with just dismissing them on grounds of capability as happens in the private sector? Once more Public sector managers fail to deliver, earn hundreds of thousands, compare their wages to private sector and yet fail to deliver on promises. Sack em I says
This Tory government are pushing through such a bill to allow employers to do just that. I was against it but in this instance, gross ineptitude is a sackable offence.

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