Corporate Director - Resources (Section-151 Officer)

Resources Directorate

Resources Directorate provides a range of critical support to other parts of the council and partners across the borough which enable them to deliver the best public services to the people of Tower Hamlets with the resources we have at our disposal. The Directorate also provides a number of front-line customer facing services to residents and businesses on behalf of the rest of the organisation.

The Directorate includes the following Divisions:

Finance, Procurement and Audit

Leading the Council’s financial strategy as described by its Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP), provision of statutory financial services (e.g. setting the annual budget and publishing the annual statement of accounts), making payments to suppliers, clients and staff on the council’s payroll.
Providing leadership, support and challenge for procurement activities around the Council. The service ensures that these activities are integrated and focused on the achievement of the council's desired financial and social outcomes.
Provision of an internal audit function to oversee the Council’s financial governance arrangements, ensuring effective systems of financial control, probity and risk management are in place. Also provides independent assurance designed to add value to the Council’s operations to evaluate and improve effectiveness of risk management, control and governance.

Workforce, Organisational Development and Business Support

Delivers organisational change and supports managers in all people management matters.
The service leads on embedding Smarter Working practices in the new working environment by supporting managers to manage their teams in the new environment with the aim of reducing staff sickness absence and improving well-being and a work-life balance.
Responsible for delivering a proactive employee relations framework to support managers
Deliver advice and guidance to managers on a range of employment matters
Provide a comprehensive recruitment support package for managers
Key role in Trade Union consultation and liaison on key matters
Ensuring terms and conditions and HR policies are current and legally compliant
The service develops and monitors the workforce strategy, which includes key actions and success measures to ensure that we have the skills, experience and attributes needed to transform our services over the next 5 years.
The service provides statutory reporting on things such as the gender pay gap, pay and conditions, and trade union facilities time, leads on corporate trade union relations and develops HR policies and procedures to support managers and staff.
Provide a range of learning and development that aligns to the strategic direction of the organisation.
Provision of business administrative support via the centralised Business Support Hub. Including activities ranging from the creation of purchase orders and supporting statutory services within Children’s and Adults social care.
Delivery of corporate recruitment and resourcing services including management of the Applicant Management System.

Customer Services

Customer Services is the council’s principal customer-facing service delivering access to key council services – including services: refuse and recycling, parking services, Housing Benefits, Revenues enquiries – through the council’s telephone contact centre, online and via the Resident Hub. The service continues to move customer enquiries into the contact centre where first point of contact resolution can be achieved for the customer.
Idea Stores and Idea Stores learning, combine the best of traditional library and information services with first class lifelong learning opportunities in comfortable and friendly surroundings. Our objectives are to bring the community together and to empower individuals to help themselves via the digital hubs, whether it is learning to read, pursuing hobbies, expanding their knowledge or seeking a job.
Information, Governance and Complaints is a strategic service directing all Information Governance work for the council including processing information requests and complaints. They provide advice and delivers the council’s framework in accordance with national legislation, best practice and quality accreditation.
Registrars service is responsible for delivering the council’s statutory births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships service. The service conducts nationality checking and conducts citizenship ceremonies. The service is responsible for the security of current and archived Registers of all life events from 1837 and the issue of Certified Family Records.

Information Technology

The council continues to modernise its IT infrastructure to support the delivery of reliable, secure and excellent public services to the citizens of the borough
As well as providing a service, IT are committed to deliver savings across the council through and promoting a Cloud First strategy
A key part of the IT service is focussed on enabling staff to be more effective, with improved facilities for remote working and new means of collaborating across teams, services and organisations
Security and risk remain paramount with (new) teams actively monitoring / updating our systems to ensure our colleagues and data are safe.

Further information can be found here

Revenues & Benefit Services

Benefits Services administer Housing Benefit, Discretionary Housing Payments, the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme, Free School Meals, and School Clothing Grants and Adult Social Care Financial Assessments along with other discretionary awards.
Revenue Services are responsible for the collection and enforcement of Council Tax & Business Rates, Parking Income, Sundry Income, Overpaid Benefits, Commercial Rent, Trade Refuse, Market Rents and has corporate responsibility for all other major income streams and income management systems used for all income collection streams. The Service is also responsible for the Reprographics Service and all bulk printing across the Council
The Service is responsible for awarding all business grants
Revenue Services are also responsible for the corporate collection forum, which promotes good debt collection practices and ensures efficiencies are shared within the council and best practice in terms of system set up and how to take payments.