IT has been announced that the Managing Director of Harlow Council’s maintenance company, HTS, is to leave.

John Phillips, who has led HTS from its inception, leaves his post as Managing Director this week.

In a joint statement, HTS and Harlow Council said:

“Over the last year, HTS and Harlow Council have commissioned various reports to assess issues of performance efficiency and governance arrangement within HTS and between HTS and the council.

In particular, these have been the Plan B reports commissioned by Harlow Council, looking at the environment and housing programmes and the Pennington Choices report commissioned by HTS looking at Value for Money. These reports have been helpful in setting out a programme for improvement to improve efficiency in delivery. Some common themes have emerged:-

Changes required to business processes to improve productivity
Development of new IT solutions to modernise the business and transform operational delivery

Cultural changes in the approaches to delivery and programme management at both HTS and Harlow Council

Changes to the contractual relationship between HTS and the council to enable a better focus on value for money

Reviewing the Governance arrangements between HTS and the council

“Over the last few months productive conversations have taken place to move each of these issues forward. Regular senior management meetings have been reinstituted to oversee this and agree an action plan for change.

These have taken place in a spirit of positive collaboration and there is consensus about the direction of travel. It is acknowledged that at this stage of the company’s life, significant changes to processes and performance delivery are required along with the development of a more productive relationship between the two organisations. Change is also required at Harlow Council and this has commenced with the appointment of a new Chief Executive who will bring further resource and organisational changes.

“Change needs to be driven from the top and this is mutually recognised between the council and HTS.

Accordingly, it is felt by John Phillips that now is the time for a new Managing Director to come in to take HTS forward into the next phase of its existence after he has led the organisation from its inception. John leaves the organisation in a good place and has been a key part of developing the action plan for moving HTS forward.

“A new MD will now be recruited, initially on an interim basis, to take the company forward into its next phase.”