Barnet Council to hire two assistant directors for £200k

Barnet Council is planning to recruit two new assistant directors, a move that will cost the local authority a minimum of £200,000 each year. The new roles are intended to help tackle the council's significant financial challenges, with a projected budget deficit of £113.5 million expected by the end of the 2027/28 financial year. This deficit is the largest in London and the second largest nationally, as reported by the BBC’s Shared Data Unit in August.

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One of the proposed positions is for an assistant director of finance, who will also serve as the deputy S151 officer. This role is a direct response to recommendations made in an external assurance review commissioned by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The review, conducted by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa), was a condition for Barnet Council receiving £135 million in exceptional financial support from the government over the past two financial years.

The external review identified several "key risk" areas, particularly concerning procurement and internal audit. It highlighted that procurement and commissioning processes in some high-pressure services, such as children's placements and temporary accommodation, were too reactive. This approach, the reviewers found, limited Barnet's ability to control costs, shape markets, and reduce its reliance on expensive external services. The report also noted uneven capacity in procurement, pipeline management, and benefits tracking, suggesting that service delivery models did not consistently translate into improved value for money or sustainable financial benefits.

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The second new role will be an assistant director tasked with leading the 'financial sustainability programme delivery'. This team is intended to support ongoing efforts to achieve savings, manage demand, and transform services. The creation of this team is part of the council's strategy to become financially sustainable by 2029. The team will also focus on identifying opportunities for improvement through staff engagement, aiming to keep teams and managers focused on reducing the annual budget gap.

Barnet Council stated that using existing resources or hiring external consultants would be less cost-effective and would increase the risk of the programme failing to deliver the required results within the necessary timescales. The council's report indicates that the assistant director for financial sustainability programme delivery would likely receive an annual salary between £104,044 and £126,754. The assistant director of finance (deputy S151 officer) role is estimated to have a salary range of £100,818 to £122,824 per year. Both new hires will report to Deborah Hinde, the council's executive director of strategy and innovation.

Council leader Barry Rawlings confirmed at a cabinet meeting on 16 September that the council had accepted the MHCLG's external review recommendations. He stated, "Our priority is reaching financial sustainability because everything else we want to do fails without that." The hiring moves have been recommended for approval by the council's employment sub-committee.