Response 4049894

Response to request for information

Reference

4049894

Response date

14 July 2026

Request

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following structured data regarding the council’s corporate Project Management Office (PMO) or equivalent change/transformation delivery functions.

1. PMO Structure: Does the council currently operate a centralized corporate PMO, or are project management functions completely decentralized across individual service directorates?
2. Staffing Headcount: What is the total current headcount (expressed as Full-Time Equivalents) of dedicated project managers, programme managers, and PMO analysts directly employed or contracted by the council?
3. Software Tooling: What specific Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software, work management platforms, or enterprise dashboard tools (e.g. Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Monday.com, Jira, Excel) are officially mandated for tracking corporate project risk, budgets, and milestone delivery?
4. Annual Budget: What was the total operational budget allocated specifically to the corporate PMO or central transformation team for the most recent financial year broken into staffing and other costs?
5. Local Government Reorganisation Transition Governance (If Applicable): If the council is currently undergoing or actively preparing for Local Government Reorganisation, has a temporary or dedicated Shadow Council or Joint Transition Committee PMO function been established? If yes, who is the appointed Interim Programme Director or Senior Responsible Officer leading that transition?
6. What is your total annual spend on external consultants, suppliers or technology companies in relation to project management office support.

Response

1. PMO Structure: Does the council currently operate a centralized corporate PMO, or are project management functions completely decentralized across individual service directorates? Centralised PMO providing project support, with Officers within service areas acting as Project Managers for their specific schemes.
2. Staffing Headcount: What is the total current headcount (expressed as Full-Time Equivalents) of dedicated project managers, programme managers, and PMO analysts directly employed or contracted by the council? 3.5 full time equivalents
3. Software Tooling: What specific Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software, work management platforms, or enterprise dashboard tools (e.g. Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Monday.com, Jira, Excel) are officially mandated for tracking corporate project risk, budgets, and milestone delivery? No specific software, platforms or tools officially mandated for tracking corporate project risk, budgets, and milestone delivery. Monday.com is being trialled within ICT Projects Team.
4. Annual Budget: What was the total operational budget allocated specifically to the corporate PMO or central transformation team for the most recent financial year broken into staffing and other costs? Total staffing costs (including on-costs) specifically for the central PMO = £258,900 + internal recharges £100,154
5. Local Government Reorganisation Transition Governance (If Applicable): If the council is currently undergoing or actively preparing for Local Government Reorganisation, has a temporary or dedicated Shadow Council or Joint Transition Committee PMO function been established? If yes, who is the appointed Interim Programme Director or Senior Responsible Officer leading that transition? A Project and Programme Manager for LGR has recently been appointed, who sits within the Corporate Projects team (included in 3.5FTE headcount). Their identity is personal information which we are not disclosing in accordance with section 40 FOIA.
6. What is your total annual spend on external consultants, suppliers or technology companies in relation to project management office support. No spend on external consultants, suppliers or technology companies from the Corporate Projects Team, in relation to project management office support. Project Management support has been engaged for specific corporate projects. Spend totalling £89,500 for 2025/26. This is captured within project budgets, rather than the Corporate Projects Team budget.