Kirklees Council cuts even more senior managers

Jul 31 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

COUNCILLORS have decided to axe even more senior managers than originally planned from Kirklees Council.

The authority is in the middle of a job cuts programme to deal with the public spending squeeze.

The number of directors will fall from seven to four, while the number of assistant directors has already been cut from 29 to 19.

The council’s personnel committee met yesterday to discuss a plan to reduce the number of assistant directors further to 13.

The cross-party group agreed to the cut – and abolished an extra post, leaving 12 assistant director positions.

And the committee also decided that one of the two proposed interim assistant director posts should be scrapped.

Kirklees human resources director Cliff Stewart told yesterday’s meeting at Crown Court Buildings that deeper cuts were needed after last month’s Budget.

He told councillors: “We are re-visiting this in the light of understanding further the challenges facing us.”

Mr Stewart added that the five West Yorkshire councils were looking at combining their legal services to save money. “There’s a strong view that this would be appropriate,” he said.

Conservative leader Clr Robert Light suggested that – in the light of Mr Stewart’s remarks – one of the 13 posts due to survive this round of cuts could go.

He said: “Given what Cliff has said about combining legal services, I don’t see why we need an assistant director for strategy and governance.”

The nine-strong committee agreed, and voted to add the position to the six roles already earmarked for abolition.

Councillors also discussed the two proposed interim posts – assistant director commissioning and safeguarding and assistant director for major projects.

They decided that the major projects post, which was to include overseeing the regeneration of Dewsbury, was unnecessary.