BREAKING NEWS: Shake-up of council structure to delete 29 posts and deliver £200,000 annual savings

The proposals, which were exclusively revealed in the County Times in November, are part of HDC’s business transformation programme and aim to deliver cost savings as well as making the organisation’s structure ‘fit for purpose’.

It will debate the changes at a full council meeting on Wednesday January 22 and if agreed will be implemented by the summer.

Tom Crowley, HDC’s chief executive, said: “There are tough challenges ahead. We need to ensure the right skills and resources are in place at the right levels and in the right areas of our organisation.

“The proposed changes in structure are designed to meet the council’s known and anticipated priorities and challenges in a cost effective way.”

As well as deleted 29 posts, including eight heads of service, new posts will be introduced at operational management level focused on community and culture, housing, and economic development.

The process included hiring organisational design consultants Stanton Marris, to ensure that accountability and decision-making sit at the right level.

If agreed, there will be a one-off cost for redundancies estimated at £550,000, and according to HDC the annual savings will result in this sum being recouped within three years.

Mr Crowley praised the continued hard work and dedication shown by all staff.