Statement re Chief Executive role at Oxfordshire County Council

The report will be considered on the same day as the budget proposals.

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said:  “It is well known that local government in general and Oxfordshire County Council in particular must find more savings on top of those already made.

“Our Government grant is likely to disappear by 2020, with three-quarters of our budget going on care for two per cent of the most vulnerable members of the population.

“Cutting the post of Chief Executive would save at least £250,000 annually and would reduce the impact of government cuts on these frontline services. Removing the chief executive post is part of an ongoing plan to cut council costs, which has seen a 40% reduction in senior managers since 2010.

“If councillors approve this proposal, there would be a new management structure based on the existing senior managers. We would also review our legal and financial safeguards to make sure the council is properly run, and emphasise the role of scrutiny.

“Joanna has been a great Chief Executive for us over the last ten years and has done a huge amount to transform the council and put us at the forefront of the modernisation agenda. I am really grateful to her for this and hope that she will stay in public service in the future.

“This is a big change for the council and it has not been a decision I have made lightly but it is borne of the need to find new ways to deliver essential frontline services in the certain knowledge that further austerity is coming the way of the public sector over coming years.”

The agenda item for the meeting can be found here