Councils consider deleting senior legal role, conduct review of legal team

Two councils in Worcestershire will next week consider proposals for further senior management integration that would see a senior legal post deleted.

The meetings at Wychavon and Malvern District Councils come with the authorities close to completing a review of their legal services.

Wychavon and Malvern already have a single chief executive/managing director (head of paid service) alongside shared heads of service with responsibility for planning and housing, and for economic development.

A paper submitted by Jack Hegarty, the chief executive/managing director, now recommends that:

• The following posts be deleted: Head of Policy and Governance (Malvern Hills); Head of Legal and Support Services (Wychavon); Head of Community Services (Malvern Hills); Head of Economy and Community Services (Wychavon); and Head of Strategy and Communications (Wychavon);and
• The following joint posts be formed: Joint Head of Economy and Communities; and Joint Head of Policy, Democratic and Customer Services.

This would leave a joint senior management team totalling six posts, down from 9, and deliver an estimated £470,000 in savings.

Hegarty said: “Looking at the business needs of both organisations over the medium term, there is a strong case for consolidating the senior management resource thus reducing costs, avoiding duplication and allowing effective deployment of the resource to serve the needs of both councils.”

The report added that the principal change at senior management level would be in relation to legal and governance functions, which would report to the Deputy Chief Executive (Malvern Hills) and Deputy Managing Director (Wychavon) respectively.

“I believe they can be discharged at Middle Manager/third tier level without detriment to the importance of the statutory role of Monitoring Officer (there is no obligation to have this function on the top tier of management),” Hegarty wrote.

“Currently, the Joint Working Advisory Board (JWAB) is considering the future shape of the legal services in both councils and that will be completed shortly. Irrespective of whether or not a shared legal monitoring officer resource is proposed, arrangements can be created to ensure the function is properly discharged at both councils.”

According to Law Society records, the two councils have three solicitors each.