Council leadership shake-up could save £100k

Twm Owen Local Democracy Reporter

A shake-up of senior leadership intended to save a council £100,000 is to be discussed by councillors. 

As part of the reshuffle a number of council services will move into different directorates, or divisions, with one new directorate created and two abolished. 

Monmouthshire County Council will also let all its current heads of service put themselves forward for the chief officer posts of infrastructure and place, which had been created on an interim basis and are now being made permanent. They will be advertised internally with a pay grade of up to £93,000 a year. 

Both positions will be interviewed by the full council and if following the internal process none are considered suitable an external exercise will be run.

Departures

The revamp has been brought about following the departure of the chief officer for place and infrastructure, in September 2024, when it was agreed to introduce an interim leadership structure for continuity while giving elected leader Mary Ann Brocklesby, and chief executive, Paul Matthews, time to consider a suitable alternative. 

The chief officer for communities and place  also left the council in March. 

The new structure will create the new directorate of place and community wellbeing as well as confirm infrastructure as a permanent directorate with the directorates of communities and place and customer and the culture and wellbeing directorate deleted. 

Some responsibilities around community development and communication will now be a working unit reporting direct to the chief executive but won’t have directorate status.

Pay rises

Place-making, described in a report by Mr Matthews as “a bit of a clumsy term” relates to work to plan improvements and deliver services with individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities. 

In April the council agreed pay rises, of around £10,000, over two years, for its most senior officers adding £34,322 to its wage bill this year and a further £65,514 next year but had also removed £177,000 from leadership costs this year. 

The shake-up to be discussed by the full council at its Thursday, June 26 meeting will save £100,000 every year with intial savings realised in the current financial year.