County Council could axe chief exec role

In a bid to save more than £300,000 a year on management costs Derbyshire County Council says it is considering a proposal to scrap the role of chief executive and to reduce its top team from five to four senior directors.

If approved the plans would result in two existing top-tier posts being abolished in addition to that of chief executive and a single new post, a strategic director of commissioning, communities and policy, being created.

Councillor Barry Lewis, leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: “We must be prepared to be bold and constantly look for savings which will help us to continue to provide high quality frontline services in Derbyshire.

“For many years the county council has operated a fairly traditional management model and the time is now right to review our internal leadership structure to meet the new challenges ahead and the ever-changing demands on local councils.

“Whilst the proposal to consider managing without a chief executive may seem unusual, in fact this leadership team approach has already been operated by other councils across the country and we are confident it would work for Derbyshire.”

The Council is currently consulting with affected employees.

A decision on the new management model is expected to be made by Full Council later this summer and, if approved, the new structure will be implemented towards the end of the year.