Issue - meetings

This is a discussion item.

The Chair introduced this item and welcomed Ian Davis as Chief Executive.  He asked Ian to give a brief overview of what he considers to be the Council’s key priorities for the future and asked whether his views on this had changed since his appointment, last June.

Ian Davis had met with the Leader and Members of the two main political parties, feedback from both parties was consistent.

Key priorities include:

·         Safeguarding, including a greater emphasis on safeguarding of children

·         Customer Experience

·         Public Health and inequalities in relation to this

·         Regeneration and Housing including the changing nature of the world we live in.

To deliver these priorities the organisation must be structured to ensure we have the right behaviours.  Firstly, the authority’s finances must be kept under control with a more strategic and earlier focus on the budget during the year. This will include more regular meetings and more involvement with Members.

Secondly, the culture of the organisation needs to be effective by having an open and honest approach which residents expect. 

Recruitment of the right staff is key, with a move towards the employment of long term staff and a reduction in the number of interim managers. 

A reorganisation is currently underway which will reduce the number of managers in the management team.  Following on from this there will be a review of the next tier of management at service head level, with a move away from the AD manager level. The intention is to make it clearer to see who has responsibility for each area. It should also provide budget savings.

The following questions/ issues were raised:

• In answer to a question about whether there may be conflicts/ issues resulting from a reduction in the number of departments, Ian Davis answered that whenever you create a structure that creates a ‘silo’ it is important the ‘silos’ work together to provide the correct outcomes.  It is useful to work together on shared responsibility ‘themes’ for example on the subject of ‘modern slavery’.
• An Enfield Youth Parliament (EYP) representative referred to responsibility for a key area such as housing and asked if it meant that responsibility mainly lies with just one person.  Ian Davis spoke of the empowering of staff and how the structure of departments should enable staff at all levels to have an input, an example of this is when looking at the Corporate Plan.
• A Customer Experience Strategy is to be put in place for the first time.
• Councillor Smith said he thought it was difficult for ‘behaviours’ to change, it is important that people are accountable for their actions and  that there are clear lines of responsibility.  It was thought better that people are open and clear if any mistakes are made to ensure issues are resolved, and not to have a ‘blame’ culture.
• Concerns were raised that in previous reorganisations some very capable people had left the organisation, we needed to ensure that those officers who ’go the extra mile’ do not leave the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 528