A STAFFING structure review is being carried out at Wellington Town Council as it gets ready to begin a new chapter in its 50-year history.

The council is changing rapidly as a result of it taking on more services from cash-strapped Somerset Council and its ambition to take on a greater role in the community.

And members of the town council’s policy and finance committee heard on November 11 that the authority is only likely to continue to grow as it is expected that Somerset Council will look to further utilise it for delivering local services.

Town clerk Dave Farrow said: “We are moving from being a standard town council to a front-line service provider.

“But we need to make sure that we have the capacity at senior management level to focus on service delivery and strategic priorities and not get bogged down in bureaucracy.”

Mr Farrow recommended that the council’s current financial officer and deputy clerk Alice Kendall take on a new role of finance and democratic services manager, while create a new post of democratic services officer and finance assistant.

These changes would then leave Mr Farrow to focus on the strategic management of the council and service delivery.

“The suggestion has been made that if the town clerk is no longer engaged on a day-to-day basis with council administration the title of the role should be reviewed and that chief executive is more reflective of what the role is,” said Mr Farrow in a report.

Mr Farrow did tell councillors that that suggestion of him becoming chief executive had been made by a councillor – rather from himself.

The council is already looking at taking on a full-time community development officer for the 2025-26 financial year, as well as making a current temporary part-time climate change officer role a permanent appointment.

Mr Farrow added: “We are going to become the local face of local government for the town and people will be coming to us about all things.

“We should be looking at opening our reception area for longer from 9am to 4.30pm and to increase a receptionist role to full-time.”

Cllr John Thorne said: “The staffing structure needs to reflect the way the council is moving and we do need a chief executive to sort out the strategic things rather than the day-to-day running.”

Mr Farrow added: “We haven’t got a crystal ball so we can see what Somerset Council is going to do, but we need a structure in place where we can initially step in when needed.”

Councillors supported proposals put forward that the town clerk role be re-designated chief executive with no increase in pay grade, along with changing the deputy clerk’s job title to finance and democratic service manager, although a discussion about a possible upgrade in salary for that position was to be taken in confidentiality.

It is expected that these changes will take effect from January 2025 by which time the council should have recruited a new democratic services officer and finance assistant on a salary of up to £32,000.