News / Bristol
Bristol City Council scraps £160k chief executive role
Bristol City Council is set to scrap its chief executive, and other senior management roles, in a move that is expected to save around £750,000 a year.
Mayor Marvin Rees said increasing demand on services and shrinking budgets means the traditional model of local governance needs to change, as he announced plans to get rid of seven of the top positions.
This follows the sudden resignation of chief executive Anna Klonowski, who left for family reasons in September after less than seven months in the job, and pressure from some councillors to scrap her £160,000 a year role.
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The council’s scrutiny committee raised concerns about the number of vacancies at senior level and the prevalence of interim appointments at a cabinet meeting in City Hall on Tuesday, claiming that these issues are an indication of an “organisation that is in trouble”.
Jude English asked the mayor to address issues with staffing and communication “as a matter of urgency”
Jude English, Green councillor for Ashley ward, added criticism about inefficiencies and a lack of communication from the council that, she says, is adding to increased workloads and stress for councillors.
In response, Rees said he has been open about the challenges the council faces and argued there needs to be a shift in focus from the older model of working in order to deliver for the city.
He also referred to leaks of confidential information from senior sources and said the council needs to be careful of who it can trust with details of “critical importance”.
In a statement, the mayor said: “We must redefine our role and our relationship with the city.
“We have developed a proposed senior management structure at strategic and service director level. In doing so, we are taking the opportunity to create a smaller team who will work with partners on delivery of our priority outcomes.
“It will provide a structure which offers progression and development opportunities and the organisational design it reflects has been tested with external specialist advice.
“My vision is for us to work with partners across Bristol and beyond to create a city where everyone can share in its success. To do this, we will continue to provide targeted care and support to those who need it but we will also enable communities and individuals to increase their independence. We will also recognise when we simply need to step aside and let others get things done for the city.”
The proposed restructure will now be subject to a 30 day consultation, after which Rees said the council will be in a position to recruit for positions in the remaining, slimmed down senior management team.
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