New £134k-a-year job to manage councils restructure

A new job paying up to £134,000 per year is being created to manage local government reorganisation in Hertfordshire.

The county council and 10 district borough councils are to be replaced with a smaller number of unitary authorities by April 2028.

A post of local government reorganisation transition programme director will be based within the county council.

It will be funded equally by all 11 existing local authorities and directed by their chief executives.

Plans to recruit for the position, which will pay between £121,449 and £134,011, got the go ahead on Tuesday.

It is hoped the successful candidate will be appointed by April, on an initial two-year contract.

The post holder will be required to manage the changeover to the new arrangements with the aim of improving services, strengthening governance and achieving long-term financial sustainability.

They will also lead a delivery team of project managers, officers, support and business analysts, and work with a budget of around £2m.

According to the job specification, candidates will need to have a proven track record of leading large-scale, complex transformation and reorganisation programmes.

The job outline states: "This post offers an exciting opportunity to support the design and implement new unitary authorities, shaping public services, governance and outcomes for generations to come.

"On behalf of Hertfordshire's 11 councils, the programme director will provide strategic leadership and programme oversight for Hertfordshire's local government reorganisation.

"This role ensures that the transition to new governance arrangements is well-planned, coordinated, and executed effectively."

At the meeting of the employment committee, leader of the county council Steve Jarvis said the role was required so councils could remain focused on the delivery of existing services.

He said that until now existing council staff had completed the work on the reorganisation, but suggested that "that becomes increasingly unrealistic".

We used AI to help edit this article, and a BBC journalist checked it before publication. More on this AI pilot.