SENIOR management roles at Moray Council are to be streamlined to ensure the authority can continue to provide essential services. Under proposals put to councillors, the council’s three directors will be replaced with two depute chief executive posts, with discrete remits to make sure the council’s priorities are met, while working towards a financially sustainable future. Head of service posts will also reduce by one, by closer working with Health and Social Care Moray – in total these proposals are expected to save more than £200,000
annually, though in the short term this will be reinvested into supporting the transition, which will include the hiring of education expertise. No salaries will rise under any of these proposals. Following advice from a management adviser, who analysed the remit of senior managers and put forward a new structure for consideration, councillors approved the proposals, which will now be the subject of consultation with the workforce. Any resulting changes are expected to take place from October. Leader of Moray Council, Councillor Graham Leadbitter, said reorganisation of the authority’s top management posts will ensure the council makes the best use of its resources. “Leadership is critical to the operation of any business and we are lucky to have skilled staff at all levels of Moray Council,” he said. “To allow us to remain ambitious for the future of Moray, we must attract and retain talent, and provide a structure that allows our staff to transform services – for the benefit of the public and the council’s financial sustainability. “We’ve taken the advice of an impartial expert to streamline management roles; this will ensure that we can continue to offer best value for taxpayers whilst providing the much-needed and relied-upon services for our residents.”