‘Go early’ offer to officers, Teesdale Mercury

‘Go early’ offer to officers

Feb 26, 2003

SENIOR council officers are being invited to take voluntary redundancy or early retirement under a new management restructuring plan.

To finance the costs associated with the restructuring, Teesdale Council may need to apply for Supplementary Credit Approval.

Teesdale Council Chief Executive, Charles Anderson, did not want to name names, but voluntary redundancy/ early retirement would be offered to third tier staff, and above, over the age of 50.

Under the new senior management structure, the existing four directorates – Finance, Administration, Community Services and Development Services – will be disbanded.

In their place are two new directorates of Corporate Services and Community Services; these posts could be filled by external recruitment. Each directorate would have four business units to be headed by a business unit head. Initially, these would be recruited internally.

The new business units would consist of Administration, Legal and Licensing, Accountancy, Revenues, Housing, Technical Services, Development and Planning.

Members of staff who lose status because of the reorganisation will have their salaries protected for three years.

“We hope to have people in post by June,” said Mr Anderson. “If we do have to recruit from outside, then, at that level of seniority, those people will probably be on two or three months’ notice for their employers.”

It is not yet known how much the voluntary redundancies/ early retirements will cost. The council is still working on the figures, said Mr Anderson.