I’ve worked in local government for more years that I care to remember and the last time funding was tight, teams were rationalised and the organisation was slimmed down. Sure, there was uproar, but we did follow the lead of the private sector and trim our cloth when times were bad.
This time, though, the pinking shears don’t appear to be restricted to the, let’s say, the lower tiers of local government.
If you are to believe what our amply-proportioned communities secretary is saying, top tier management and chief executives are also going to be rationalised when the cuts bite.
Even if Eric Pickles has reined in his controversial address to the LGA conference recently, it’s clear that he wants chief execs of districts and senior management to start sharing. He also wants to clamp down on hefty salaries and ‘golden goodbyes’ as chiefs move around councils offering their wares.
And today he went further still, hinting at plans for US-style, directly elected ‘super mayors’ where the roles of chief exec and leader are combined.
This has all had an interesting effect on the upper echelons at my council - ‘It’s all gone a bit quiet over there’, in fact.
Our leader is what one would call a ‘character’… a vociferous Tory and fan of Pickles (not the sweet kind).
Out chief is a mild-mannered, even-tempered yet astute operator… someone who side-steps minor political bluster and remains focussed on getting things done.
Both would like the other gone, and I know who’d get my vote.
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