-
Issue - meetings
Draft Budget and Corporate Plan Consultation 2021/22-2022/23
Meeting: 23/01/2020 - Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Item 38)
38 Draft Budget and Corporate Plan Consultation 2021/22-2022/23 PDF 123 KB
Additional documents:
- Draft_budget_report_2020-21, item 38 PDF 370 KB
- Draft_budget_appendices_2020-21, item 38 PDF 666 KB
- Draft_budget_2020-21_Appendix_K2, item 38 PDF 159 KB
- Draft_corporate_plan_2020, item 38 PDF 5 MB
Minutes:
The Director of Corporate Services and Governance presented a report to invite the Budget Overview and Scrutiny Committee to comment on the draft budget and corporate plan for 2020/21 to 2021/22 and alert Scrutiny members to the wider consultation, approvals timetable and next steps.
The Director of Corporate Services and Governance asked the Councillors to be mindful that there are Hastings Borough Council staff present at this meeting who are affected by the proposed budget reductions and should be considerate of this.
Previous to this meeting, the committee asked the Director of Corporate Services and Governance and the Director of Operational Services to provide answers to a list of pre-prepared questions regarding the draft budget and corporate plan. Answers to these questions were circulated before the meeting, and Councillors were encouraged to ask supplementary questions at this meeting if and where they required further clarity.
The Chair invited the Leader and Deputy Leader, to the table.
The Councillors asked the Officers, Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council a series of supplementary questions regarding the draft budget and corporate plan.
Question: Is there an approximate timescale for the senior management restructure in terms of the 260k per year savings proposed in Appendix K2?
Response: The Leader of the Council stated that this would be done within approximately six months.
Question: How can staff savings be made (referring to Appendix K2 of the budget) if the senior management restructure isn’t finalised?
Response: The Director of Corporate Services and Governance explained that the ongoing process is actually two processes that have merged. There is the budget deficit that Hastings Borough Council has to address and when making savings at this level staff savings are necessary, and also the management restructure which focuses on how we can make changes to the way we work and further savings in the future. Unfortunately, because of the General Election, the restructure has had to be delayed.
Question: How can the officers be sure that they’re not at risk of deleting a post that may be needed in the future after the management restructure?
Response: The Director for Operational Services explained that by putting staff posts ‘at risk’, this allows time for further review. These positions may change depending on responses received from this consultation period.
Question: How will remaining staff cope with the strain it leaves on them?
Response: The Director of Corporate Services and Governance stated that they are aware the impact will be significant and requires careful management. Aiming for a more resilient organisation, and some of the proposed structural changes, such as the Admin Hub, may help with this.
The Director of Operational Services also mentioned the stress of perceived unevenness in the organisation. Some areas, such as those involved with the Town’s Fund, are likely to have an expansion of resources while other posts are being deleted. However, these changes are necessary and, in this case, funded separately.
Question: This referred to question 9 on the supplementary document which discusses ‘survivor’s ... view the full minutes text for item 38
-
My council
Contact
Got a question about democratic services?
Content
The content on this page is the responsibility of our Democratic Services team.