OIC reveals management changes worth £1 million

Orkney Islands Council has today, Wednesday December 15 announced the first phase of a refresh of its corporate management structure, costing just over £1 million.

The corporate leadership team will comprise of four corporate directors (an increase of two since September 2020), the IJB chief officer, and the chief executive.

A new head of service has also been added to the existing team.

The move comes as the council looks to improve its performance, deliver on its priorities, and improve confidence in the organisation across staff, partner organisations, and the public.

The new head of service for enterprise and economic growth role has been added to help drive forward the delivery of the council’s work on economic recovery and its major ambitions on renewables and connectivity.

In order to provide additional organisational capacity, an additional six service manager roles are also being created.

The development of the second phase of this process is currently underway and will see additional staff and resources added across all areas of the organisation, strengthening staff teams, improving professional practice, and investing in talent development – creating a number of high-value local jobs in the process.

It is expected that the new structure will come into effect in April next year.

John Mundell, the council’s interim chief executive, said: “A review of the council’s corporate management restructure was last carried out close to ten years ago.  In that time, we’ve seen an intensification in the interaction with the Scottish Government with increases in the council’s responsibilities and demand for our services.

“Workloads have increased substantially; our teams are under tremendous pressure, working excessive hours in too many cases and a review was seriously overdue.

“The pandemic has also reinforced the need for change in some areas.

“Our current structure and staffing numbers have also not been in line with comparator councils like Shetland – who receive substantially more funding than us from the Scottish Government, despite the fact that we provide many additional services.

“Reviewing this structure over the last six months with my team and with elected members provided us with a pivotal opportunity to refocus, reshape and redirect our capacity – and the new structure announced today is the outcome of that.

“There is no doubt that Phase 1 is a significant investment – just over a £1 million – by the council to address the capacity, workforce development, recruitment and retention issues that have been raised by staff, managers and the public over recent times. Together with Phase 2 which is in development, it will ensure that the council can deliver its priorities and develop our leadership, culture and workforce – improving the way in which we provide services to the public and becoming an employer of choice again.

“In serving our community, we now have a duty to ensure there is a recognisable and positive impact from these changes, that we advance our priorities and invest in Orkney’s future.”