Agenda item

That the restructure of services be approved, to consolidate them into a wider finance directorate, including the core operational finance teams (financial management and strategic and corporate finance), transactional finance teams (accounts payable and accounts receivable excluding revenues and benefits), a strengthened commercial services team and a new team that brings together financial governance, risk, insurance, internal audit and counter fraud and investigations and involving the following specific changes:

i. Increased internal capacity in the commercial services team to replace services provided by an external contractor;

ii.Increased internal capacity in the team covering internal audit to replace services provided by an external contractor;

iii.The transfer of the counter fraud and investigations team into a wider financial governance team;

iv.The transfer of the revenues, benefits and charges team into the finance department.

The Lead Member for Financial Oversight & Council Assets presented a report which sought approval to a restructure of the finance and commercial services sections within the Corporate Operations Department.

The Council’s external auditors and various recent Government reports had highlighted the need to significantly strengthen the finance and commercial services function and the proposed restructure sought to put in place a structure that was sustainable and underpinned the future success of the department and the Council.

Job descriptions have been fully evaluated by HR and trade unions and that it is important that the Council is confident that they are recruiting people appropriately qualified at the relevant levels due weaknesses identified in the past. It was confirmed that there would be no compulsory redundancies and that the aim was to move from interim staff to a full time permanent workforce over time.  There would be opportunities for staff to develop their skills and careers in Slough and continuous development was a key part of the approach being taken.

Lead Members welcomed the new structure in principled and recognised the importance of strengthening the finance department.  The cost and affordability of the structure was queried and it was responded that the overall budget was within the amounts approved by Cabinet in 2022/23 budget and included in the assumption made in the Capitalisation Direction agreed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.  The Cabinet specifically noted the comments of the Commissioners including the recommendation to move the payroll function to operate under financial transactional services.

Members asked a number of questions about the number of graduate and trainee level roles and the steps that would be taken to make Slough an attractive place to come to work.

In response to a question about entry level roles it was explained that there is provision for graduates and trainees and that there is an intention to have a defined graduate entry system to train and qualify individuals in house.

Questions were asked about the increase in the number of higher level posts in the new structure.  It was responded that strategic finance managers would be allocated to each departments and would work with services more closely.  It was consider these roles were crucial and that over time there would be increase in automation and the use of technology.  The Cabinet agreed the proposed structure was appropriate for Slough in the current financial position, and that it may evolve in the future as and when the Council stabilised its finances.

The Cabinet agreed the recommendations.

Resolved -

That the restructure of services be approved, to consolidate them into a wider finance directorate, including the core operational finance teams (financial management and strategic and corporate finance), transactional finance teams (accounts payable and accounts receivable excluding revenues and benefits), a strengthened commercial services team and a new team that brings together financial governance, risk, insurance, internal audit and counter fraud and investigations and involving the following specific changes:

i.  Increased internal capacity in the commercial services team to replace services provided by an external contractor;

ii.  Increased internal capacity in the team covering internal audit to replace services provided by an external contractor;

iii.  The transfer of the counter fraud and investigations team into a wider financial governance team;

iv.  The transfer of the revenues, benefits and charges team into the finance department.