RICHMONDSHIRE District Council has said it is committed to keeping its new management structure as lean as possible - and said a recent split from a partner council has led to a positive future.

Richmondshire District Council strategy board heard on Tuesday how savings had already been made across many departments, although there were no figures for councillors to compare with how finances stood when the shared services scheme was operating with neighbouring Hambleton District Council.

Leader of Richmondshire District Council Coun Blackie confirmed that in the departments that had already split from the scheme, which was designed to save both councils thousands of pounds, the council was either better off or at the same level as it had been before.

He stressed that savings would be made only where it was appropriate and not were it would be detrimental to the service provided to the public.

The councils formally shared a chief executive, but now Richmondshire has decided to replace that role with a managing director above three senior managers.

Coun Blackie said: “We have been looking at what exists in other similar sized councils very closely. “Ryedale for example has a management structure that resembles a labyrinth.

“This structure is very lean and mean compared to other district councils we felt it was appropriate to compare ourselves with.”

Sian Hansom, an assistant director at North Yorkshire County Council, has temporarily acted as a finance officer for RDC since August and it is this role that needs to be replaced.

However Coun Blackie said under the new slimline regime, a finance director would have to do more than the role has traditionally asked, and undertake customer services, human resources and payroll and business support.

He said: “We have held extensive talks with our current three senior managers and they are very comfortable with the way things are moving forward - they will be a greater workload but they have managed magnificently and are happy to go ahead as a smaller management team.”

Conservative opposition leader Fleur Butler said: “This is a very positive opportunity to get the council to look forward.

“We need to ignore what has happened in the past with Hambleton District Council and try to get Richmondshire in a safe and secure place financially.”

All councillors thanked the three senior managers Tony Clark, Colin Dales and Callum McKeon for their work in moving the council forward since the split from Hambleton.