The General Purposes Committee of Brent Council met on Monday 30 March 2026 to approve severance payments for senior management restructures in both Adult Social Care and Housing Services. The committee agreed to the proposed redundancies and associated financial costs, including pension strain, for both departments.

Adult Social Care Senior Management Restructure

The committee approved severance payments for senior managers in Adult Social Care as part of a significant restructure. This reorganisation aims to streamline the senior management team from five to two Deputy Director roles, with the goal of improving focus on the customer journey and addressing inefficiencies. The report highlighted that following consultation and a competitive assimilation process, only one individual was successful in securing a new Deputy Director position. Consequently, two individuals will face compulsory redundancy, and one person took voluntary redundancy. Councillor Harbi Farah raised concerns about the impact of senior management exits on service improvement and the CQC rating, to which the report's author responded that the restructure was a key driver for improvement by clarifying roles and responsibilities. Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, Jobs & Skills, proposed delegating authority to the Head of Paid Service to approve the final severance amount for one employee, referred to as applicant B, to avoid further delays. The committee agreed to this amendment.

Housing Services Restructure

The committee also approved a severance payment for an employee within Housing Services as part of a departmental restructure. This redundancy was deferred to ensure knowledge transfer and training for new team members and a new manager. The report explained that the restructure was initiated in response to new legislation, including the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Social Housing Regulation Act 2024, and aimed to improve tenant access to services and management of key issues. The employee in question was retained temporarily to support the implementation of the new structure, with the redundancy now taking effect. Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Housing, noted the individual's long service and expressed thanks. The committee agreed to the recommendations for the severance payment.