At least six jobs have been lost at the Isle of Wight council, with its regeneration team hardest hit by cost cuts.
Among those to leave the authority have been regeneration and economic development director, Chris Ashman and his assistant director, Ashley Curzon.
One of the council’s highest-paid officers
Mr Ashman was appointed in 2016 and together, the pair ran a team tasked with attracting investment to the Isle of Wight, creating both jobs and benefits for finances and the community.
Latest figures from the TaxPayers’ Alliance show between April 2021 and March 2022, Mr Ashman was one of the council’s highest-paid officers, earning £143,167, of which £27,242 was his pension.
The departure comes as the authority merges two departments — neighbourhoods and regeneration — into a single team after a senior management review, where three people were made redundant.
All those who have left have done so voluntarily
A further three jobs were lost outside of the review.
An Isle of Wight council spokesperson said at the start of the restructuring process all staff were offered either voluntary redundancy, early retirement or reduced hours.
No one has been asked to take compulsory redundancy, the spokesperson said, and all those who have left have done so voluntarily.
Head of merged departments
Colin Rowland has been named as County Hall’s new director for community services, overseeing slimmed-down versions of the former departments, from this month.
In a meeting last week, the council’s chief executive Wendy Perera told members the number of regeneration staff had been reduced, with the economic development and regeneration team now down to 11 posts.
Ms Perera said while regeneration activity would continue, the scope and priority of some of the team’s tasks had been reduced.
Projects already underway and proposed will continue.
To cut £1.2 million from staffing costs
The council is looking to cut £1.2 million from its staffing costs and it is targeting non-statutory – those it does not legally have to provide – services.
As part of the authority’s financial plan for the year — in which nearly £4 million of savings or money-making schemes need to be found — councillors agreed to voluntary redundancies and an ‘organisational redesign’.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
