Venue: Roborough Room - Committee Suite (County Hall)
Contact: Karen Strahan 01392 382264 Email: karen.strahan@devon.gov.uk
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Declaration of Interests Members of the Council will declare any interests they may have in any item to be considered at this meeting, prior to any discussion taking place on that item.
The other registrable interests
of Councillors of Devon County Council, arising from membership of
City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will
automatically be recorded in the minutes:
Minutes: The Chair reminded Members they should declare
any interests they may have in any item to be considered, prior to
any discussion taking place on that item. The details of
District and or Town and Parish Twin Hatters was on
the attached list - |
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Minutes Minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2024, previously circulated. Decision: RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2024 be signed as a correct record. Minutes: RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2024 be signed as a correct record. |
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Items Requiring Urgent Attention Items which in the opinion of the Chair should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency. Minutes: There was no item raised as a matter of urgency. |
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Report of the Chief Executive outlining proposals for the re-design of the Public Health, Communities & Prosperity Directorate, attached. Decision: RESOLVED
(a) that the role of Head of Economy, Enterprise & Skills is realigned from the Public Health, Communities and Prosperity (PHCP) Directorate structure to a Performance & Partnerships Directorate, incorporating responsibility for oversight of relationships with the Combined County Authority (CCA) and Corporate Performance;
(b) that the role is renamed Director of Performance and Partnerships and continues to be part of the Senior Leadership Team; and
(c) that the Public Health, Communities and Prosperity (PHCP) Directorate and responsibilities of the Director of Public Health and Communities be amended accordingly. Minutes: The Committee considered the Report of the Chief Executive which outlined proposals for the re-design of the Public Health, Communities & Prosperity Directorate.
The Report outlined the background to how the Public Health, Communities and Prosperity Directorate was created (July 2022) bringing together four separate service areas; Public Health, Communities, Economy Enterprise and Skills and Communications and Media. This included responsibility for a number of key Council services, such as libraries, youth service, Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse, substance misuse, sexual health, Public Health Nursing, Trading Standards and Learn Devon as well as externally funded Government programmes, such as the Household Support Grant, Homes for Ukraine and Growing Communities Fund, skills and employment programmes, the Growth and Careers Hubs.
In reviewing current structures, the Senior Leadership Team had highlighted the need to review the Council’s approach to Performance and Partnerships, given there was no senior leadership Director with responsibility for organisational performance. This was not the case in other high performing peer local authorities and the LGA’s corporate peer challenge process placed a strong emphasis on how performance was led, managed, and used in decision making, and how a performance function supported and underpinned statutory inspections.
Alongside performance, the Council equally needed a focused strategic approach to partnerships. The establishment of a Combined County Authority and Team Devon Joint Committee required a new partnership approach and engagement with the CCA once established and joint working arrangements to delivering economic development, economic infrastructure, business support, skills and employment, growth sectors and innovation alongside housing and transport.
It was proposed that a Performance and Partnerships Directorate be established covering the functions and services outlined in the table in the Report. The new Directorate would be responsible for organisational performance, quality assurance and improvement including supporting Statutory Inspections to drive improvement across the authority. It would also support the development of strategic partnerships and lead engagement with identified key strategic stakeholders.
The proposed changes required a Director role to be established on a permanent basis. An interim arrangement had been operating since January 2024. It was recommended that the Head of Economy, Enterprise, and Skills role was replaced by a Director of Performance and Partnerships role. The Committee noted that the post of Head of Economy Enterprise and Skills was the same grade to that proposed for the Director of Performance & Partnerships, therefore the cost was neutral. The post of Head of Economy Enterprise and Skills had previously been approved by the Appointments, Remuneration and Chief Officer Conduct Committee and Council. Any posts transferred to the new directorate would be from within the existing staffing envelope and therefore no additional cost implications for this aspect.
In discussion, it was highlighted that the organisation needed to have a ‘one Council’ approach to performance and both performance and partnerships needed to be at the heart of the Council. The importance of relationships were articulated as well as the need for a line of sight across all areas of performance across the Council. In addition, performance needed ... view the full minutes text for item 90. |