Eleven Newcastle City Council managers and the head of the council’s audit committee have left the organisation this year as chief executive officer Jeremy Bath implements sweeping cultural and structural change.
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Communications manager Kate Baartz resigned this month, joining a long list of staff who have left the council since Mr Bath announced the restructure in March.
The reshuffle initially rubbed out planning director Peter Chrystal, regulatory services manager Andrew Baxter, cultural facilities director Liz Burcham and civil works manager Greg Essex.
Other managers to leave since then include Rod Bales (customer service), Murray Blackburn-Smith (development and building), Vanessa Hutchins (Civic Theatre), Peter Collins (human resources), Phil Moore (facilities and recreation) and Anna Browne (internal audit).
The staff changes look like a cleanout of senior employees, though not all have left due to the reorganisation.
It is understood some of the staff who have exited in recent months, including Ms Browne and Ms Baartz, did not have other jobs lined up. Ms Baartz had been at the council for 12 years and Ms Browne for eight.
The chairman of the council’s audit and risk committee, Dr Col Gellatly, a former long-time head of the NSW premier’s department, quit in April over the restructure.
Dr Gellatly said in an email to Mr Bath at the time that the audit committee, which reviews the council’s financial management, fraud control, governance and compliance, had not been consulted about changes which would “impact on internal audit reporting lines”.
Mr Bath responded to Dr Gellatly by saying the restructure had been approved by the elected council.
Independent councillor Kath Elliott said it was “quite concerning” the council had lost a dozen senior staff this year, “quite a few of whom left with no job to go to”.
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“While I acknowledge there has been restructuring, it’s a significant loss of corporate knowledge,” Cr Elliott said.
“I’m particularly concerned that our new staff will have a steep learning curve and few long-term senior staff with Newcastle City Council experience to guide them.
“The loss of our internal auditor and the external chair of the audit committee is also worrying, coming at the same time.”
A council spokesperson said on Monday that councillors had resolved to reorganise the administration to become more customer-focused and better meet the modern expectations of ratepayers.
“This process has included staff engagement and consultation with the unions representing staff,” the spokesperson said.
“During this process, some senior staff were notified that their contracts would not be renewed and elected to leave the organisation.
“The redesign includes a flatter organisational structure and a realignment of responsibilities, improving communication and opportunities for collaboration.”
The council did not respond directly to questions about how much the staff departures had cost, but the Herald has been told the council has not paid out any more since spending about $600,000 to make Mr Chrystal, Mr Baxter, Ms Burcham and Mr Essex redundant.
Mr Chrystal, who is now general manager and a partner at Newcastle planning company KDC, had been at the council for seven years before being retrenched.
Mr Baxter now fills a similar regulatory role at Lake Macquarie City Council.
Mr Bath said in April that poor internal communication was one reason behind his move to a “more efficient” management structure.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said at the time of the changes that they would help the council become more responsive, customer-focused, transparent and accountable.
Mr Bath joined the council as interim CEO in April last year and was appointed full-time in December.
Restructuring the council is just one of a number of high-prifile projects he has initiated, including moving council staff to new premises in Newcastle West and demolishing Queens Wharf Tower.
The council advertised recently for a consultant to “develop and implement a training program (and tools) to deliver a transformation of its organisational culture and leadership framework”.
The latest council departures follow the convulsions of early last year, when corporate services head Glen Cousins had his contract terminated by Mr Bath, legal services boss Frank Giordano resigned and infrastructure director Frank Cordingley retired.
Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
