Discussion Document released – Auckland Council

A discussion document that will help to shape the administration of the new Auckland Council is released by the Auckland Transition Agency (ATA) today.

The document has been circulated to the chief executives and staff of Auckland existing local government organisations.

There are three parts to the document:

• Part 1: a draft organisational structure showing the most senior roles in the new Auckland Council, including proposed groupings of functions under the Interim Chief Executive.

• Part 2: a draft scope of workforce change document. This includes some descriptions of the types of roles or functions which may be subject to the greatest and the least degree of change during the transition.

• Part 3: a description of the draft processes and protocols to be applied during the transition. This document outlines the draft principles proposed when staff move from jobs with existing local councils to roles with the new Auckland Council and describes how people will be treated when a suitable job is not available.

Key points in the discussion document include…

• The draft organisational structure is designed to promote clear accountability for community outcomes and customer service. Management roles are significant and meaningful, with appropriate spans of control.

• There is a commitment to maintaining or enhancing council service delivery.

• Council staff who deal directly with customers will generally remain in their current locations. It is not intended generally to review staff numbers or roles of people involved in community facilities (such as libraries, parks, and recreational facilities) and community services.

• Strategy, policy and planning functions and corporate services will be reorganised to support the new governance and operational needs. When redundancies occur, they will be managed in accordance with the terms and conditions of employment agreements and legislation.

• The picture presented today in the discussion document is not final. Analysis and design work on the council and on council-controlled organisations (CCOs) is continuing; IT system constraints may impact the timing of some location change.

• There will be opportunities for employees to provide input on service design, development of the resulting staffing plans and their implementation. Mechanisms for this have been established and general comments are welcome to info@ata.govt.nz.

ATA Executive Chairman Mark Ford said: “We are committed to running fair, transparent processes and are working with existing local government organisations and employees to obtain their feedback.”

Web links for employee feedback have been established with councils. Additionally, general comment is welcome to by post to Feedback, Auckland Transition Agency, PO Box 99394, Newmarket 1149, Auckland, or info@ata.govt.nz.

Following distribution to council and CCO employees, the discussion document has been posted on the ATA website www.ata.govt.nz – click on Auckland Council.

ENDS

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