St Helens Council begin search for 'key' appointments

This week, the council’s appointments committee agreed to begin the recruitment for three director posts within its place services department.

The council will now seek to appoint a director of strategic growth, director of communities and director of operations.

READ > Council leader has this message as St Helens enters Tier 3 lockdown

Cabinet agreed last week to create the new posts, as part of phase 1 of the senior management restructure approved by full council in December 2019.

A report that went before the appointments committee on Monday said that since 2018, there has been a history of temporary arrangements in the directorate.

It said previous restructures removed “considerable strategic and management capacity”.

“The recruitment of these posts will provide the council with the absolute capability and capacity to support and improve the delivery of services within the place directorate,” said Kath O’Dwyer, the council’s chief executive.

“And those services to residents of the borough including and importantly the delivery of key projects to deliver the council’s priorities.”

Ms O’Dwyer, who was brought into the authority in March as part of the senior management restructure, said the new directors will lead three “coherent but discreet departments” within the directorate.

“The creation of these posts and the establishment of both capability and capacity within the place directorate has been long overdue,” she said.

“They are key appointments to the authority in moving its ambitions for the council and for our residents forward.”

Kath O’Dwyer, St Helens Borough Council’s chief executive

Full job descriptions for the new director posts have been published by the council.

The director of strategic growth will be tasked with ensuring the delivery of “high-quality growth and regeneration projects and programmes”.

The director of communities will have responsibility to develop “safe, strong and sustainable communities in St Helens”.

They will be asked to develop places that meet the needs of all residents and businesses

The director of operations will have responsibility to develop St Helens as a “clean, green and sustainable place” and will actively develop environmental strategies.

The new directors will need to ensure cultural change is delivered by instilling a sense of “optimism, purpose and responsibility” in their leadership team .

All three posts will earn between £92968 to £98282.

Labour’s Gomez-Aspron, cabinet member for reset and recovery, said the high salaries need to be put into context.

The deputy council leader said: “Council jobs always attract attention when pay is mentioned.

“And I think it’s just important to mention that these pay figures aren’t plucked from the air, they’re done by good practice based on nationally-set spines of pay.

“So, we when we go forward and people will ultimately ask questions about that, it’s important to set that context.”

In addition to the three directors in the place services directorate, the appointments committee also agreed to begin the recruitment process for the redesignated post of executive director integrated health and social care and accountable officer to St Helens CCG.

The executive director people’s services, currently held by Sarah O’Brien, has been redesignated to this post, which is jointly funded by the council and the CCG.

Professor Sarah O'Brien is leaving her post asexecutive director integrated health and social care and accountable officer to St Helens CCG

The post is the second highest paid within the council, second only to the chief executive, commanding around £140,000 a year.

It was announced last month that Professor O’Brien is leaving the council to join the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership.

Subsequently, a decision was made to change the post to give a renewed focus on the local authority’s health integration agenda.

When the role was originally established it oversaw adult social care, public health, and children’s services. Since then, however, the council has decided to have a dedicated director of children’s services.

READ > Firkin boss calls for 'level playing field' as pubs prepare for lockdown closure

Because of this, Ms O’Dwyer told councillors the title of people’s services would “no longer be appropriate”.

“Never has there been a more important time for us to integrate with our CCG and health colleagues,” she said.

A further meeting of the appointments committee has been arranged for the November 9 to carry out interviews for the redesignated post.