About the organisation
Wolverhampton City Council is embarking on an exciting journey of transformation that will put the customer at the heart of everything we do. For us, this is what an excellent organisation does.
The Council is realigning its senior management arrangements around the Model for Excellence it has adopted for its organisation design. The Council is committed to developing a truly holistic customer-focused culture and we have refreshed our values and reviewed the behaviours that support those values, as part of this process.
Our values are as follows:
- Fair:
We treat each person as an individual.
- Committed:
We work to deliver real improvements to the lives of Wolverhampton residents, to visitors and business.
- Trustworthy:
We deliver high-quality services that provide value for money, while protecting the environment.
- Open:
We include people in decisions that affect their lives and in the design of services that meet their needs.
Download the documents below for more detail on the transformation process.
Management Structure
The Council is divided into 4 major service groups and a strategic Office of the Chief Executive as follows:
Customer and Shared Services: Director: Richard Hill
Responsible for the management of the core corporate support services of Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Procurement, ICT and Property. This directorate is also responsible for Customer Services, which will expand over time but begin by delivering a range of front line services – Housing Benefits, Local Taxes, Banking, Payments and City Direct.
Children and Young People: Director: Roy Lockwood
Responsible for the management of the Council’s provision of Education, Children’s Social Care and Play and Youth, including preparing and implementing Statutory Plans and implementing School Improvement Partnership Board initiatives. Providing operational management of the Youth Service, including youth clubs, projects and programmes; adventure playgrounds and other play provision.
Building Schools for the Future (BSF)
The Council is also engaged with the national Building Schools for the Future Programme as a Wave 5 Authority. The Council strongly believes the programme is large and ambitious (covering 26 settings), yet necessary and achievable. The opportunity to deliver in a single wave is not only extremely attractive to the market but also to the council and schools in delivering early, widespread and sustained transformation. The council and all schools have demonstrated their significant readiness, ability and capacity to deliver the programme and the £370M outline business case has already been approved allowing the programme to move into procurement. The programme is extremely attractive to the market and the Council.
The Council’s BSF Strategy for Change highlighted key areas of development for BSF, namely:
- high quality specialist provision linked with existing or planned specialisms
- Key Stage 2/3 transfer and Key Stage 3 progression
- transforming the role of the children’s workforce
- governance to support partnership working
- inclusive practice;
- promoting individual and community wellbeing
- matching schools with communities in terms of size and facilities
The large scale transformation of teaching and learning in secondary aged provision will also have a significant impact on regeneration and the development of sustainable communities. Transformation work will build on the Council’s success in 14-19 developments and in e-learning.
A 4ps Gateway Review found that the programme exhibits several features of best practice in project management, leadership and stakeholder support.
Regeneration and Environment: Director: Steve Boyes
Responsible for:
- Regulatory Services
A One-Stop shop approach to regulatory activities orientated around the customer to include Trading Standards, Food and Environmental Safety, Licensing, Public Protection, Development Control and Building Control.
- Regeneration and Neighbourhood Services
Includes Economic Development, Crime and Disorder, Local Neighbourhood Partnerships, Strategic Housing (Planning/Sustainability), Regeneration, delivery support to the Third Sector and monitoring of Wolverhampton Homes (Arms Length Management Organisation).
- Commercial Services and Public Realm
This brings together Street Scene Services; Transportation (and asset management, traffic management and transportation planning); Waste Collections and Disposal; Landscape Design; Fleet Management; Highways Maintenance; Car Parking Parking Enforcement, Catering and Cleaning Services and the Markets Service.
Adults and Community: Director: Sarah Norman
Responsible for the commissioning and provision of high quality services to adults in the City in partnership with others to ensure the best possible outcomes for the citizens of Wolverhampton.
Services include Adult Social Care and Supported Housing, Cultural Services including Libraries, Archives, and the Arts and Museums Service, Adult and Community Learning, the Registrars Services and Bereavement Services, Sport, Recreation and Parks, and Community Centres.
Adult Social Care is engaged in an ambitious transformation programme which includes Putting People First, a major efficiency drive and a joint LIFT Programme with Wolverhampton PCT. It is also focussed on ensuring excellent operational delivery, in safeguarding, professional practice, quality of care and assessment and care management processes.
Office of the Chief Executive
The OCE comprises a range of Corporate and Democratic Services including Communications, Policy and Equality, Scrutiny and Democratic Support, Performance Management, Emergency Planning, Secretariat and the Corporate Programme Office. Its prime focus will be to support the corporate management of the Council and the delivery of our aspirations for the City.
Political Arrangements
Wolverhampton City Council comprises 60 elected Councillors, representing local people in 20 wards across the City. Wolverhampton seats are usually closely contested and we have a traditionally robust and open political culture.
Following the May 2008 local elections, the composition of the Council currently stands at Labour 28 seats, Conservative 27 seats, Liberal Democrats 5 seats, Liberals in Focus 1 seats. Political control rests with a minority Conservative administration.
Decision making operates under a Leader and Cabinet model. Within the Cabinet, there are currently nine portfolio holders:
- Resources, Governance and Support Services
- Leisure and Culture
- Adults
- Environment
- Neighbourhoods and Community Safety
- Regeneration and Enterprise
- Schools
- Children and Young People
- Organisation, People & Performance
In addition to this, there are three Cabinet Panels to enable the Cabinet to focus on the strategic decisions facing the Council - the panels deal with issues of Resources, Performance Management and External Relations.
