Calls for blitz on Brighton and Hove council managers (From The Argus)

How many of the Council 'workers' actually work? Are there figures for that?

Are there really no management structure charts? How can the Councillors or senior managers make decisions and savings without these and clear role descriptions. I've worked in a number of businesses - all had these why not the council?

Whether a person has the word 'manager' in their job description, is neither here nor there. They may manage people or a function, so they have manager in their job title. What's important is the job description and its position in the organisation. Unless you know the job description, you cannot tell whether the job needs doing at all, or can be amalgamated with other another role. Let's not get hung up on titles.

I am now retired after working as a manager within the highways department for 23 years I can confirm that the Brighton and Hove Council have been running out of control for many years appointing "senior managers" and promoting unskilled and untrained staff in a bureaucratic nightmare governed by political correctness No real managers are allowed to manage as such and are controlled by politics and union pressure there are many many union stewards/ officers who though hold official titles such as refuse workers road sweepers etc in fact have never even carried out any of those duties spending their whole working week on "Official union business" claiming expenses and being provided with the latest technical equipment including iphones ipads etc
I took early retirement through frustration and disillusionment just tp get out of the madhouse!

earloflucan wrote:
I am now retired after working as a manager within the highways department for 23 years I can confirm that the Brighton and Hove Council have been running out of control for many years appointing "senior managers" and promoting unskilled and untrained staff in a bureaucratic nightmare governed by political correctness No real managers are allowed to manage as such and are controlled by politics and union pressure there are many many union stewards/ officers who though hold official titles such as refuse workers road sweepers etc in fact have never even carried out any of those duties spending their whole working week on "Official union business" claiming expenses and being provided with the latest technical equipment including iphones ipads etc
I took early retirement through frustration and disillusionment just tp get out of the madhouse!

Excellent post, just to add the majority of managers "made up" within their original Council posts become the biggest bullies.

It's always great to read the totally fair, balanced and totally unbaised comments in these pages

I totally agree, shame on me as that is exactly what I became!

What's our new chief executive doing about it?

Morpheus wrote:
What's our new chief executive doing about it?

probably buying a bentley.

Good to see Council Pound back!!!

500 managers - how did Cllr Janio get this information if there are no structure charts. Answer - there are!!!

Manager of a Day Centre, Residential Unit, Family Centre, etc.......salary around £18-£20k.

Union Officers - I'm one - claiming expenses? Yes, but from the Union, not the Council. Laptop, computer - yes, one at home, and one at work. Paid for by the Union, not the Council.

Hours per week - around an average of 70 - 37 paid by the Council, none paid by anyone else. Oh, and as I noted a while ago, we pay towards our facility time, pay a commercial rate for subs collection through payroll, and save the taxpayer (remembering, of course, that our 4,000 members are taxpayers, as well) millions each year in BHCC.

As for Cllr Janio - these "wasteful" managers were here when the Tories ran BHCC - why didn't he cut them then. Because they were needed, possibly!!!???

Does the Council actually need any managers? All it needs are people to get off their behinds and do some work, if you have to be 'managed' to do your job, you should not be working there either.

I work a minimum of 45 (paid) hours a week and any time above that and I get paid overtime. I don't get travel allowances or a company car or a company bus pass, I have to run my own vehicle and pay for my petrol, my tax disc and my insurance myself. After I have paid all my bills and shopping there is not much left at the end of the month but at least I can say I have done a honest months work and been paid for what I did, I wouldn't give my company an extra 33 hours worth of work for free.... it really amazes me how some people in the Council can get away with so little work for so much money... and I know a few who are doing just that.

Cllr Janio demonstrates why the Tories did such a poor job of running the council when they were in power (all these managers were working under the Tory administration don't forget!). They put the backs up of those working for them with there lack of understanding of how to run a large organisation and motivate their staff. Their government is similarly shambolic.

The relevant issue is not a job title but how effective is the employee and organisation at providing services.

ourcoalition wrote:
Good to see Council Pound back!!!

500 managers - how did Cllr Janio get this information if there are no structure charts. Answer - there are!!!

Manager of a Day Centre, Residential Unit, Family Centre, etc.......salary around £18-£20k.

Union Officers - I'm one - claiming expenses? Yes, but from the Union, not the Council. Laptop, computer - yes, one at home, and one at work. Paid for by the Union, not the Council.

Hours per week - around an average of 70 - 37 paid by the Council, none paid by anyone else. Oh, and as I noted a while ago, we pay towards our facility time, pay a commercial rate for subs collection through payroll, and save the taxpayer (remembering, of course, that our 4,000 members are taxpayers, as well) millions each year in BHCC.

As for Cllr Janio - these "wasteful" managers were here when the Tories ran BHCC - why didn't he cut them then. Because they were needed, possibly!!!???

Knut wheres is my £200 solicitor fee that I paid my subs ans Unison let me down.

I have assumed your name because in fact you are getting larger on the fat of the "Council Pound" You really are the "dogs Knuts"

earloflucan wrote:
I am now retired after working as a manager within the highways department for 23 years I can confirm that the Brighton and Hove Council have been running out of control for many years appointing "senior managers" and promoting unskilled and untrained staff in a bureaucratic nightmare governed by political correctness No real managers are allowed to manage as such and are controlled by politics and union pressure there are many many union stewards/ officers who though hold official titles such as refuse workers road sweepers etc in fact have never even carried out any of those duties spending their whole working week on "Official union business" claiming expenses and being provided with the latest technical equipment including iphones ipads etc
I took early retirement through frustration and disillusionment just tp get out of the madhouse!

Is earloflucan an alias for Walter Mitty?
This is all utter b0ll0x.

Instead of continually changing directors and chief execs in the hope of creating a better council which delivers serivces to an efficient and good standard, the leadership needs to take a brave and radical look at the culture which exists in the council, the quality of staff, experience, training, the beliefs and behaviours etc and then create a strategy of how to achieve best performance.
Set performance targets and manage out those who fail and reward those who perform.
The savings made through axing non-performers will pay for the rewards for those who perform and deliver results.
However, so far none of the political parties have dared look inward to save money through performance management, they have all, including the current council, looked at what we, the residents should sacrifice to reach financial targets while continuing with the same mediocre performance.

Getting rid of all of the line managers would be a good start. Most seem to be under-qualified, over promoted, unaccountable and generally only there to add another layer of petty bureaucracy.

ourcoalition wrote:
Good to see Council Pound back!!! 500 managers - how did Cllr Janio get this information if there are no structure charts. Answer - there are!!! Manager of a Day Centre, Residential Unit, Family Centre, etc.......salary around £18-£20k. Union Officers - I'm one - claiming expenses? Yes, but from the Union, not the Council. Laptop, computer - yes, one at home, and one at work. Paid for by the Union, not the Council. Hours per week - around an average of 70 - 37 paid by the Council, none paid by anyone else. Oh, and as I noted a while ago, we pay towards our facility time, pay a commercial rate for subs collection through payroll, and save the taxpayer (remembering, of course, that our 4,000 members are taxpayers, as well) millions each year in BHCC. As for Cllr Janio - these "wasteful" managers were here when the Tories ran BHCC - why didn't he cut them then. Because they were needed, possibly!!!???

I am sorry ourcoalition but if you are going to be reasonable and quote actual facts rather than the usual bonkers prejudice you could be drummed off this site.

Having said that about too many/overpaid managers- which party got rid of Chief Executive Alan McCarthy, then all the exisitng directors as at a cost of a million and a half or so as an act of political and costly spite and then appointed Barradell and the shower of overpaid new Directos who all but one b******* off to London for even higher paid jobs having done naff all of any use here- err the Tories- Janio's party under the ever scary Mary Mears

Oh dear. Tony Janio; “It’s not the way to run a business, which is what the council is'.

Councils are not businesses. There are a few clues, not least the fact that much of what they do is a statutory function (legally obliged to provide certain services), and they have tax raising powers. Good to see the calibre of our elected representatives on display.