Situated in West Hertfordshire and within easy travelling distance to London but close to the Chiltern Hills, Dacorum is Hertfordshire's biggest Borough Council serving a population of 138,000 and with a 850-strong workforce.
A “Good” star rated local authority, Dacorum is very focused on moving to a Use of Resources score of 3 as soon as possible. To achieve this, they are looking to recruit bright, focussed and committed financial professionals who are keen to enhance their career within this forward thinking local authority.
Financial expertise will be key to delivering the Council's far reaching and ambitious change agenda. Balancing the books is a central theme of a council-wide change programme - the Improving Dacorum Programme. A raft of projects are taking place across the Council to collectively deliver £4.5 m of savings in the next 18 months.
The Council currently has funds under investment totalling £65million. Balancing the budget will enable the Council to put its substantial investment income to better use.
We are also looking to reduce our reliance on the interest generated from our substantial investment portfolio - currently standing at £65milion - so as to free up the principal for reinvestment in our community.
In addition to these challenges there are other major projects that will require financial acumen now and into the future.
The Council is working with Thornfield Properties Plc as a preferred developer to deliver a £350million regeneration programme for Hemel Hempstead, Dacorum's biggest town. The vision including new civic buildings, new shops, offices, affordable housing and a new town square is about transforming Hemel Hempstead, a post war New Town, to craft the right legacy for future generations.
Hemel Hempstead is also a town facing massive expansion. It is earmarked to accommodate 12,000 new homes and has been identified by the Government as a growth area. The challenge of financing the infrastructure facilities and projects that will be needed to support this level of development is massive.
Over the next year the Council will be working up proposals ready to balance its tenants on the transfer of its 9,000 homes to a housing association. A 'yes' vote would yeild a capital receipt of £140 million and would have wide-ranging repercussions on the remaining Council services and Council finances in general.
In summary Dacorum is an authority offering many challenges and opportunities to gain experience in working on large scale projects that will make a real impact on the local community.
In addition to a full package of attractive benefits, we will also fully support you in your continuing professional development.
