By Jess Baker
Southern Downs Regional Council last week confirmed it had undertaken some “internal changes” that saw several staff made redundant.
In a statement released on Friday 25 June, the council stated that a review of its organisational structure identified the need to “realign the management of functions within several departments to streamline communication, improve processes and enhance effective decision making”.
SDRC Chief Executive Officer Dave Burges said that some staff had been affected, but the council’s first priority was to “redeploy” those staff into vacant roles within the organisation.
“Apart from the merging of two manager roles, which unfortunately resulted in one of them no longer working for (the) council, five positions within the organisation have been made redundant and three new positions have been created,” Mr Burges said.
“Affected staff have been provided with a list of all available vacancies, including the new positions, and have been invited to indicate which, if any, of these positions they would like to be considered for.”
Mr Burges said this initial process would conclude on Friday 2 July, at which date redeployment options would be assessed and details provided to affected staff.
“It is important to note that as an organisation we are always looking to improve how we operate and we are constantly evolving to meet the needs of how we deliver our core business,” he said.
“I sincerely acknowledge that this is a difficult and unsettling time for the affected staff and the organisation in general.”
He said last week’s decisions were not made lightly, and would support the council’s vision to cut red tape and be more transparent and adaptable in uncertain times.
“These are challenging times and in order to maintain (the) council’s service levels to a standard accepted and supported by the community and to ensure our long term stability, it is unavoidable to evolve as an organisation,” Mr Burges said.
“I will be working hard to ensure we are a council that our community and employees can be proud of.”
A number of projects, including the establishment of an internal Organisational Development Team, are now in the works for the council and are intended to improve its service delivery, systems and communications.
Mr Burges said he was also developing a “red tape reduction program and a customer-led charter development program”.
“There are a number of exciting projects on the horizon for the Southern Downs region and I want to thank the community for their patience as we navigate this period of change,” he said.
