Croydon Council plans to cut its senior management wage bill by more than £800,000 to balance books

By Tara O’Connor, local democracy reporter

Croydon Council plans to cut its senior management wage bill by more than £800,000 as the cash-strapped authority looks to balance its books.

But a Conservative opposition councillor said the changes at the authority need to be more than just something written on a piece of paper.

Croydon Council has proposed reducing the number of senior staff at the council by 12.

It would save £834,963 over the next two financial years (2021-22 and 2022-23), which is 6.5 per cent of current senior management costs.

This includes national insurance and pension contributions from the council.

Councillor Jason Cummings said that while the opposition group is “broadly supportive” of the proposed cuts, the real challenge will be seeing results from the shake up.

“We think it is a bit more of a sensible structure but it is essentially just roles on a piece of paper,” he said.

“The real key for us is who is in these roles and how good are they at doing their job. The position Croydon is in isn’t down to the structure.

“The structure is one thing but we need to see results and people achieving the financial targets they have set. This structure is clearer and it’s easier to understand who is responsible for what, which is important, it is a slimmed-down structure.”

The restructure includes four new posts including a corporate director and director to address “significant issues” in the council’s housing service brought to light by terrible living conditions at a tower block in South Norwood that were exposed earlier this year.

Cllr Cummings expects that the proposed structure will be in place for a couple of years before it can be “slimmed down” even more.

He added: “We are expecting to see this structure in place for one or so years then see some changes on the housing side of that.

“I don’t think they are in a position to make cuts within the housing department as they have got such a specific challenge there.

“I think in the future they will be able to slim down further after standards are brought up to an acceptable level.”

A report on the restructure written by chief executive Katherine Kerswell, said that staff consulted on the matter showed “very profound concerns over the internal operating culture of the council”.

The report adds: “A consistent theme from staff and from residents is the

failure to engage with and include all staff and enable everyone to feel

valued and able to deliver at their full potential.”

If the new structure is approved, employees will either be matched to a new role or be at risk of redundancy.

The restructure is set to start this autumn and be completed within a year.