Council plans ahead for community and customer service

Sunshine Coast Council has unanimously endorsed a new organisational structure to ensure it is fit to meet the future growth challenges in the region.

Chief executive officer Michael Whittaker said the new structure would help the council deliver the services required to meet customer and community needs over the next decade.

“To meet the service requirements of our community and the future growth demands, it is important we have in place an organisational structure that is fully aligned to deliver on council's strategies and the region’s customer expectations,” Mr Whittaker said.

“Council has a solid record of achievement, wonderful staff and a great track record of service delivery to our customers, and the new structure will enhance our ability to meet the challenges of the future growth – it’s about us aspiring to be an outstanding organisation.

“The new organisational structure will ensure we are geared up in the best way possible to be an outstanding organisation that aligns to council’s corporate vision, goals, strategies and values; enhances our focus on services to customers, partners and stakeholders, supports the delivery of a range of major projects in the region; and meets the region’s future growth challenges.

“The State Government’s SEQ Regional Plan highlights our region will need to accommodate 200,000 additional residents by 2041, requiring approximately 90,000 dwellings, and this council has undertaken extensive planning to manage this growth.

“We are building a healthy, smart and creative region here on the Sunshine Coast, with many opportunities before us and our organisation must be fit to deliver our core services while remaining innovative and leaders in best-practice.”

Mr Whittaker said the organisational structure provided a more logical grouping of existing functions while bringing together policy, delivery, regulatory and customer branches within council.

“This grouping will reduce duplication, drive efficiencies, achieve a more balanced approach and improve outcomes within council to benefit our customers, Sunshine Coast residents and business and community organisations,” Mr Whittaker said.

“The new structure will allow council to streamline its processes, freeing up some staff and resource capacity to implement our region-making projects, and to allow time to focus resources on the core capabilities and services required to meet the future service needs of our community.

“The new structure does not reduce council’s headcount, rather, it establishes an optimum structure to support council being fit for the future.”

Mr Whittaker said the review was developed in close consultation with the councillors, a project steering committee, senior management and staff.

“The overall approach to the project, both in terms of understanding the current and future context, was highly consultative,” he said.

“All levels of the organisation were engaged, and all staff were invited to participate and contribute their views and a wide range of external stakeholders were also invited to engage and comment.

“Whilst there was widespread recognition that the current structure has served the organisation well and underpinned a proud record of achievement, there was a strong consensus across all stakeholder groups that selective structural improvements would better position the council to navigate a changing context and increase the level of confidence in strategic delivery”.

Mr Whittaker said the changes would be phased in over time, to both assist staff and to ensure there is no impact on the services and outcomes Council provides to the Sunshine Coast community and its customers.

“Our staff remain focused on the job at hand and are continuing to deliver those essential services and outcomes that we do so well.”