Whanganui council boss says organisation not ‘top-heavy’

The council is "a lean and efficient organisation", David Langford says. Photo / NZME

Whanganui District Council’s boss has hit back at accusations the organisation is “top-heavy” with too many managers.

In a bid to save $2.1 million, chief executive David Langford announced last month that 31 council roles had been disestablished and replaced with 10, with a focus on reducing the number of management roles.

The decision drew a strong response online, with some lamenting its timing - just before Christmas - and others celebrating the news.

One Facebook user said the council was “top-heavy like most administration government departments”.

Others said it had “heavy and hungry” middle management and was overstaffed for its output.

“It’s just bloated bureaucracy,” one said.

“Hopefully [November staff cuts] is just the tip of the iceberg.”

A report from Langford, which aimed to “dispel some myths about council staff resourcing”, said post-restructure the council had four executive managers (down from five), 30 managers and 21.5 team leaders/supervisors.

The council was now budgeting to employ 298 FTE (fulltime equivalent) staff, it said.

“Because of the number of part-time and casual employees, such as lifeguards at the Splash Centre and event staff at our venues, the actual headcount is closer to 400 individual staff members.

“This means that typically there is a ratio of one manager/team leader overseeing five or six staff members in addition to managing a large number of contracts for service with contractors.”

At a council meeting on Tuesday, December 10, Langford said numerous studies, including from the Harvard Business Review, showed a one to five/six ratio was optimal in the private sector and the council was currently “in the sweet spot”.

“More than seven, you start to see management performance significantly drop off as managers get overwhelmed,” he said.

A Local Government New Zealand spokesperson said it had no rules or guidelines around what an optimal number of managers should be.

“That’s a decision for each individual council to make,” they said.

Whanganui’s council was a lean and efficient organisation but could still perform to a high standard, Langford said.

“There is no point being cheap if we also destroy the value we create and add.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.