Directorate of Resources

Our Directorate of Resources is responsible for delivering corporate services for the Council, providing the support that allows the best possible services to be delivered to residents. The Directorate includes the following services.

• Communications
• Corporate Improvement and Customer Services
• Finance
• HR and Organisational Development
• Legal and Democratic Services
• IT and Digital Transformation
• Procurement
• Revenues and Benefits

Communications

Our communications team provides internal and external communications, runs the Council’s corporate channels (including social media, email, newsletters and signs), and delivers the Council’s annual civic events programme.   We run projects large and small that keep residents informed and engaged, from rolling out food waste collections across the Borough and supporting communities through Covid, to promoting new investments in leisure facilities, road maintenance and community safety. 

Corporate Improvement and Customer Services

Our Customer Services team includes the Council’s call centre and customer hub ensuring that all who come into contact with the council receive a professional and attentive service, and that their questions can be answered quickly, or referred on to other colleagues as required. Registration and Bereavement services, including cemeteries and crematoriums, also sit within this team.

Other key responsibilities include Customer Relations, who respond to feedback, as well as managing Freedom of Information requests. This unit is also responsible for council policy and performance, managing our important relationships with the voluntary sector, and business analysis and change.

Our new Programme Management Office (PMO) is striving to be a Centre of Excellence, working with the wider business to design, deliver and embed high quality, change initiatives that align with Reading’s strategic goals and vision.

We have implemented a hub and spoke model here at Reading. The PMO Hub is an enabler to support the organisation in delivering transformation and change projects by providing the tools, skills and advice, as well as having a core team of change resource (Programme & Project Managers, Business Analysts & Project Officers) that the organisation can request for delivery of specific projects as part of a managed pipeline of activity.

Meet Zoe our PMO manager

Finance

Finance leads on the Council’s financial management, including coordination and management of the council’s financial accounting, revenue, and capital budget processes. The service also collects outstanding debt and oversees payments to suppliers. The team provide high level financial support and advice to the council’s Corporate Management Team and councillors.

HR and Organisational Development

This team provide advice and support to ensure that the Council have the right people, in the right job, with the right skills and the right support to help them thrive. Services include:

• HR Advisory Services
• Strategic HR and Organisational Development Business Partnering
• Organisational Development and Learning
• Resourcing
• HR Data Systems
• Payroll and Pensions
• HR and OD Administration Hub
• Kennet Day Nursery
• Health and Safety and Emergency Planning

Legal and Democratic Services

Legal and democratic services ensure that all services and councillors benefit from expert legal advice and makes sure the council’s decision-making process complies with administrative and equality law.

It is also responsible for electoral administration, which carries out work to maintain a comprehensive, accurate and current register of electors and postal voters, and manages national and local elections and referendums.

Our Legal Service includes the Joint Legal Team, which provides legal services to the six Children’s Services departments in Berkshire.

IT and Digital transformation

This service make sure that the Council’s operations are supported by effective and cost-effective ICT services, and that it has a customer focussed digital presence across websites, portal, social media and intranet. Advising on digital communications and supporting the shift to even more customer contact through digital means, it plays a vital role in modernising service provision.

We have strengthened and expanded the team to a new, multi-supplier in-house operating model designed to make the best use of Digital and ICT capabilities now and in the future. This enables our internal and external teams to deliver services of critical importance to the citizens and businesses of Reading.  The restructured teams oversee the delivery and ongoing evolution of services from specialist suppliers, making sure that the overall service meets our customers’ needs, is well integrated, high-performing and secure.

Procurement

The service advises and supports Council departments on any procurement and contract management matters, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, achievement of best overall value to the Council and supporting the delivery of overall Council aims. This includes delivery of social value and supporting the Council aspiration to be a carbon neutral by 2030 through contracts procured. Using a TEAM Reading approach, the service also looks to support service delivery through a modern, best practice approach to procurement and contract lifecycle management.

Within the Contract Management component of the team, the service has direct management of the Councils contracts with Brighter Futures for Children (BFfC), including the oversight of delivery of SLA support services to BFfC.

Revenues and Benefits

This team is part of the Finance function and collects Council Tax and Business Rates, administers Council Tax and housing benefits, and includes the Benefits Anti-Fraud Team.