City Hall top jobs bombshell

Chief executive Ian Stewart has won the approval of the ruling Labour group to completely reorganise the top management team.

It means that more than 30 directors and assistant directors - earning about £1.4 million per year between them - could face stiff competition to keep their jobs.

And Council leader Ian Greenwood says some people may take the opportunity to retire.

The Council says the top officers' jobs have changed - both because of its new structure and Mr Stewart's 2020 vision, a strategy to lead the district into the new Millennium.

Today, the Local Government Association praised the move and said the Council was a "leading light" in modernisation and was showing taxpayers that it meant business.

But city hall union Unison warned today that compulsory redundancy for highly-paid officers could not be ruled out.

Regional officer Keith Williamson said: "This would be obviously unacceptable because it is against long-standing Council policy."

Those whose jobs could be on the line include director of corporate services Philip Robinson, who is also acting assistant chief executive; director of social services, Liam Hughes; education director Diana Cavanagh, acting director of corporate services John Baker and director of regeneration David Kennedy. They earn salaries of up to £86,346 a year.

Councillor Greenwood said the Council may advertise a smaller number of jobs and expected internal applications from staff seeking promotion as well as from other local authorities and the private sector.

He added: "Our commitment is to get the best management for the people of Bradford and we believe this is the way to do it.

"Some may see it as an opportunity to meet the challenges of the future. Some may see it as an opportunity to take retirement."

"We are not dissatisfied about the way they do their jobs. This is not a judgement of the existing people.

"We want to appoint the best available top management to ensure that the Council provides top quality services to the community."

Coun Greenwood said if some of the existing job holders were unsuccessful everything possible would be done to help them to find new jobs, including the use of professional consultants.

The revised management structure would be available for comment from existing top management, all political parties and trade unions in the new year, he added.

Mr Stewart, who joined the Council last April, said: "This is a massive undertaking which could involve advertising between 20 and 30 top posts.

"I must emphasise that we intend to undertake this process carefully and as openly as possible.

"All top management, political parties and trade unions will be consulted within the process and I hope to have Bradford's new top management team in post by mid summer."

But leader of the Council's Tory group Councillor Margaret Eaton said: "I think the unions will see this as a kick in the teeth from a Labour council and it will do nothing to improve morale.

"It's not a surprise - I feel the whole modernising agenda was an excuse for getting on with the officer restructure because there was no other reason for rushing it through."

Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Jeanette Sunderland said: "This is a dangerous strategy which could destabilise the authority."

And a member of the newly-formed Labour back benchers 1999 committee who did not want to be named said: "It's unprecedented and it's madness. We have had a tough spending settlement and need the support of the officers at this time. It is seen as a vote of no confidence in them."

The proposals were accepted at a private meeting of the Labour group on Monday.

Any redundancy payments for people under 50 would probably based on 50 weeks pay, depending on age and service .

People over 50 may get redundancy pay based on 30 weeks pay, depending on the length of service. A further five years may be added for them.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.