By JESSE GRAHAM
YARRA Ranges Council’s Planning, Building and Health department will be absorbed into other departments as of February next year, with a director’s job set to be cut.
The council is proposing a number of sweeping changes to its internal departments, which will take place as of 2 February, 2016.
Under the changes, the Directorate of Planning, Building and Health will be absorbed into Corporate Services and Social and Economic Development – Environment and Engineering will remain.
In an email to the Mail from mayor Jason Callanan, the council lists several proposed changes that may be brought in next year.
As part of the change, three positions at the council will be “disestablished”, including the role of Director of Planning, Building and Health, currently held by Andrew Paxton.
Manager of Community Compliance and Team Leader of Business Support will also be axed if the changes go ahead.
Spurred on by employee changes, a “tightening financial environment”, streamlined processes and the imminent redevelopment of the council’s Anderson Street office, the changes will see the PBH directorate split into two other departments.
The current Planning Services team will be expanded by the council to include Building and Compliance, and will then be under the banner of Social and Economic Development.
The email lists the benefits of this as increasing customer service quality and “significant operational efficiencies”, streamlining approval processes and allowing for collaboration of the two currently separate groups for enquiries and preparing council reports.
Cr Callanan said the restructure would create “better cohesion” between groups in the council.
“It’s more about streamlining big internal pathways, so when a planning permit comes in, there’s no ‘Oh, we have to send that over to this department to get that done’ – let’s just bring them all together.”
Family and school-based immunisation services will be moved from the council’s Health department to Family and Community Support Services, under Social and Economic Development, while the Health and Local Laws teams will move into Corporate Services.
This, the email read, would assist with the “development, review and administration of local laws”.
Cr Callanan said the changes would be expected to begin as of 2 February next year.
