Birmingham city council responds to Kerslake criticism.
The first phase of recruiting to a number of senior roles at Birmingham City Council starts today.
This is in response to a recommendation in Lord Kerslake’s report, subsequently emphasised by the Birmingham Independent Improvement Panel, which stated that the city council needed more “strategic capacity” to ensure that it could deliver its improvement programme.
Two new jobs, an Assistant Chief Executive and a Strategic Director for Change and Corporate Services are being advertised first, along with the role of Assistant Director for Business Change which is an established, recently vacated, position in the council’s People Directorate.
It is anticipated that the appointments will be made by early October and the successful applicants will take up their posts no later than early 2016.
In addition to these roles, a replacement for the recently-retired Strategic Director for Place will be sought, plus a new Director for Employment and Skills, a post that is being jointly funded with Solihull Council and will support both councils and the proposed West Midlands Combined Authority.
Cllr Ian Ward, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We have made it clear we will do everything necessary to deliver the organisational change that is required to ensure that the council functions as effectively as possible for the citizens it serves. We are doing this at the pace needed to address speedily the challenges the council faces and to ensure we make the right decisions.
“These roles will make a significant contribution towards making the changes we need to be ready to tackle the challenges of the future.”
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