New NCC Management Structure

The new senior management structure for NCC is up on the website, following news at the end of last year that there was to be a minor bloodletting. One or two interesting points spring to mind.

Firstly, there is no longer a Director for Housing or Director for Workplace Strategy. This slightly ups my optimism that maybe Geoff Hibbert is on his way out after all. However, there is a new post called Director for Property in the new 'Development' department and I imagine he's probably wormed his way into that one.

Also, the Director for Customer Services has disappeared, previously held by my old mucker Helen Shipway. Wonder what's happened to her? She was probably quite vulnerable in the night of the long lives as she is a relatively recent recruit.

It would also be interesting to know where Housing Benefits has been placed, there's nothing immediately obvious.

However, by far the most interesting aspect is that there are three Directors who now report directly to the Chief Executive rather than to a Corporate Director. That's somewhat unconventional so why would they do that?

Well my suspicion is that it is all down to Jon Collins, as most things at NCC are. The three directorships are 'Partnerships', 'Communications' and the Chief Executive of 'One Nottingham'. I think these three areas are JoCo's main tools for exerting control in the wider environment. Communications is obvious, always best to have close control of the spin, Partnerships is of course the way NCC gets to push other organisations around and conclude the business that it would rather be kept from prying eyes and of course 'One Nottingham', currently being run by his bezzie mate Nigel Cooke, is the centre for many little pet schemes.

So JoCo would clearly prefer these Directors to report directly to him. I know they nominally report to Jane Todd but really that's pretty much the same thing.