Well I went to the Scrutiny Committee last night for an hour. The County Press probably had the right idea - they didn't turn up ! Apart from me the 'public' consisted of one other councillor and one officer. The Committee really isn't setting the Island alight.
They spent the hour I was there looking at the Government's grant settlement for the next 2 years, which isn't really their role. However, despite a good settlement that would have reduced the planned budget savings by £1.7m, the Council will still have to save £9m to deliver an inflationary increase of 2.5% next year, due to some health recharges of £1.7m. It was reported that efficiency savings and changes in political priorities will secure the £9m of savings, but we won't know what they are until next month. There was also some report of 'consultation' on this process, which sounded like anything but.
I noticed from the minutes of the last meeting that they should have had a work programme before them at this meeting. There wasn't one, and no one asked why not. So I have no idea what they will be doing in the future. If indeed anything.
Finally in the time I was there there was no mention of last night's Cabinet decision to prevent them calling-in the education privatisation decision, which I would have thought was of some significance for a Scrutiny Committee !
All in all a very poor meeting. No opportunity for non-members of the committee to ask questions, but at least the Cabinet Secretaries weren't supervising this time !
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No great surprises in the scrutiny committee, then. Thanks for going and waving the flag. Keep it up, both you and Deborah. We depend on you and the few other sensible members out there.
Now, have you noticed what's being passed under members' noses whilst all the attention is on the education service? For once it's not a Tory initiative but an officer one. The most senior remaining director, Mr Rowell, who has never held a job for more than 18 months before this one (which he's held for 2 years) is about to dismember the environmental and regulatory services of the council for no obvious reason. There's not even any political motivation obvious, just good old fashioned ineptitude, empire building and lack of supervision from the decapitated council, with all the old hands now overboard.
Derek Rowell is trying to form a new 'Regeneration Services' with about 60 officers from existing services. The trouble is, nobody knows what it's going to do, or who will be in charge of it. Nor is it clear how it will work without taking many officers away from what they are doing now. He wants to appoint a new, expensive, Head of Service, but not until he's set it up himself. To do this he's proposing to completely reorganise many of the direct public-facing services of the council: highways, engineering, transport, property services, parks, beaches, tourism. This will be hugely disruptive and wasteful. He has consulted with his heads of service and they have all told him in very strong terms that it will be a disaster. Senior and very experienced officers have begged him to stop but he will not. Every man (yes, they are all men) has pleaded and argued with him and all have been ignored. Members seem unaware of any of it. He is ploughing on regardless. With no CX, no senior officers, and no member oversight, there seems to be no way for this calamity to be avoided. Derek is acting unaccountably and with no obvious justification or reasons. He often claims to have the support of members and officers but none ever stand up and offer it. The public are not informed. Every explanation he has given to staff or the public has been incomprehensible management gobbledegook, given by him alone - nobody ever backs him up because nobody wants this madness. For this, at least two officers will definitely be made compulsorily redundant, and probably many more. Many have already left what is seen to be a sinking ship. The union is pretty much overwhelmed with all the goings-on and they can't do much as nobody can actually understand what Derek is doing.
Please, Cllr Lumley, can you help? You've got enough experience of the council to know what this sort of thing means. I don't know what you can do but perhaps you do. You may have guessed that I'm an officer in one of the affected services. My own job won't be affected directly - I'm very junior indeed - but many of my colleagues will be, and we fear will be prevented doing from what we want to do - to serve the public. We fear our services, vital to many, will be hopelessly compromised by unnecessary reorganisation and an autocratic management style that just ignores the wishes of the public, unions and staff. We can't even talk to members - it's not allowed. I have to write this anonymously because I've seen what happens to those who put their name to any criticism.
Was that the same Derek Rowell we had in Scarborough? See http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1290284
I pity you if so!!
Thanks for this. I understand your need to remain anonymous, but you can always email me confidentially at geoff@fairlee30.fsnet.co.uk.I am aware of what Derek Rowell is proposing as I was sent a copy of a Unison letter earlier this month. I will look further into this and see what can be done by an opposition councillor.
It is the same Derek Rowell. Interestingly enough this same Mr Rowell attended the same school in Durham as I in the early 70s, though I never knew him (he was the year above me). Of course it was a state school so no danger of 'old school tie' here !
Mysterious, sadly too mysterious for we humble council tax payers to understand!
No blighter understands Mad Derek! If anyone can find one officer or member who understands what Derek is talking about I'd be most surprised. I was speaking of him in an exasperated way to a very senior member just before Christmas and this person simply slowly tapped their temple with one finger and said "ah, don't forget you work in the Land of Rowell". Everyone knows the fellow is nuts. Surely they are coming to get him soon, and apologise to us for taking their time?
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