Use of 'consultants' by the SIC

[Ghostrider]

I'm not knocking Sandra Laurenson's abilities etc in any way, shape or form, I'm sure she did the very best she could with the b/s she was handed down from above while with the Health Board. However, I will take a great deal of convincing that taking someone recently retired from one public service organisation which over the years has been decimated and turned in to a sucidially top heavy red tape strangled "health police" dictatorship from the top down, is the kind of experience that our already sucidally imploded council requires to "put it back on its feet".

 

I may very well be wrong, but to my way of thinking what the council lacks is fresh idea and fresh approaches, not more of the same which has already proven itself as useless. Buchan is a career civil servant, Laurenson, although she started out in the salt mines, became one and has been one for the larger part of her career.

 

The SIC has never really been a particularly robust and effective animal, ever, compared to it's predecessor, but what was fair to middling went right down the tubes when more and more ex employees became councillors and more and more senior positions were filled by career, or at least long term civil servants.

 

Adding more of the same to the ranks, either elected or salaried will achive very little unless rearranging the deckchairs yet one more time, its fresh talent who have not been conditioned by years of civil service b/s, waffle and red tape that the place needs.

 

The procedures commonplace in private enterprise and those commonplace in public service are chalk and cheese, it is two wholly different worlds. Granted up to a point it has to be, but in a moderation, the council as I see it has been stuck in its own incestous regurgitation of the same ideas round and round for so long that it has disappeared up its own ass, and any attempt it makes on its own to move causes it to fall over.

 

Its not more same thinking people holding it up and helping it to move along without falling over that it needs, its people who can see and think outside box, that will shock it in to getting itself out of its own ass so that it can see where its going, and in doing so gradually regain its balance again that it needs.

[Para Handy]

The SIC has put the C_nt in to consultant.

So what is a consultant.. In this context.

But another out of work councillor colleague

Getting a cut out of miscellaneous funds. For pointless advice.

[Njugle]

Would you care to elaborate on any of those statements Parahandy? You may have a valid point to make, but the way you are making it doesn't coma across well, especially the first sentence which I'd ask you, as a moderator, to consider changing.

[shetlandpeat]

The responsibility is with the person who hired them. Though you may comment at costs, have you thought how much it costs to recruit such folk onto the payroll, pay their relocation package and then pay for them. The wage bill tends to be about twice what the employee gets, give or take.

HR would have a say in this and procedure would need to be followed.

[Fjool]

... the council as I see it has been stuck in its own incestous regurgitation of the same ideas round and round for so long that it has disappeared up its own ass, and any attempt it makes on its own to move causes it to fall over.

 

/agree

 

c.f. Groupthink.

[Colin]

I wonder why we need consultants at all. After all, we have a huge amount of highly paid senior management who 'should' be up to the job. If something arises that is outside their area of expertise then, clearly, they are the either the wrong person for that job or seriously overpaid.

 

I just wonder how much longer we can go on before the SIC will realise that we pay THEM to make decisions, not to 'rubber stamp' some consultants ideas.

 

The private sector (locally anyway) does not make nearly so much use of consultants (they can't afford to) and when they do, they expect 'value' in return for their cash. Time that the SIC started living within OUR means.

[Carlos]

Hmm, in that way does private business not run exactly the same as the council/consultants?

If you have specialised work that only comes up once a year, you don't pay extra to employ a specialist and end up keeping them on general duties for the other 50 weeks, you employ a general worker at a lower wage, and sub out the 2 weeks specialist work?

[Para Handy]

Would you care to elaborate on any of those statements Parahandy? You may have a valid point to make, but the way you are making it doesn't coma across well, especially the first sentence which I'd ask you, as a moderator, to consider changing.

 

 

“especially the first sentence which I'd ask you, as a moderator, to consider changingâ€

As I dont have access to a edit option. Just the quote option. That would be a bit difficult. Njugle

 

So as a moderator feel free to edit it out If it is offensive .,

Although it rings true to me with all the dealings I have had over the years with members in the Town

Hall .

 

As for the second statement?

Just look at the new Anderson High School debacle! And our lamented departed failure of a chef ex. who passed on the consultation to one of his friends. Councillors are no different when it comes to the old boy network . And all over the UK.

But Shetlands council seem to excel at it.

But it happens in the health boards as well.

[Guest Anonymous]

If we keep having to hire consultants to tell us how to manage things, what's the point of all the over paid managers that swell the ranks of the SIC?

[clanchief]

The SIC formally agreed that Mr Buchan could spend up to £1 million pounds to ensure that the SIC complied with their committment to change - improve- and run more effectively and efficiently & that is what he is trying to do, making use of consultants.

 

Just clarifying this, not upholding it!

[Ghostrider]

The SIC formally agreed that Mr Buchan could spend up to £1 million pounds to ensure that the SIC complied with their committment to change....

 

Would that be the same kind of "change" as Obama promised so much, but has failed to deliver.

[THE GREYSUIT]

The SIC formally agreed that Mr Buchan could spend up to £1 million pounds to ensure that the SIC complied with their committment to change - improve- and run more effectively and efficiently & that is what he is trying to do, making use of consultants.

 

The SIC gave Mr Buchan authority for £1 million for spend to save schemes, if this is the money which is being spent on consultants, where is the evidence or the process that savings will be made from their work, where is the progress reports detailing the expected savings and payback, I can't recdall seeing any reports on this going to Council. Whilst I am sure the re-structuring of the Council will save money, at what cost and will it adress the issue of poor leadership, idntified by the audit scotland. A restructure that leaves the main contributors to the previous poor leadership but slims down the front line staff that deliver services, will only lead to a continuation of poor performance and continued mistakes and fiascos like Anderson High School and Bressay Bridge. You can shuffle the pack but if no one learns any lessons and they remain the kings and queens nothing changes.

 

My concern is that we have a temporary Chief Executive being advised by temporary consultants, all of whom are more interested in short term gain and solutions rather than the long term success and sustainability of Shetland.

 

Which is more important to these people, that they are seen to deliver something during their employment with the Council, or the success of the changes they made 5 or 10 years down the line.

[Spinner72]

^^ Good post, and given that the council chamber itself seems to show no evidence of change for the better (changing decisions, Wills running to the press, calls for resignations etc etc) you could well not blame them for looking too far ahead if they can see its a pointless excercise.

 

The SIC formally agreed that Mr Buchan could spend up to £1 million pounds to ensure that the SIC complied with their committment to change....

 

Would that be the same kind of "change" as Obama promised so much, but has failed to deliver.

 

I think thats a good comparison. I am sure Obama didn't expect near the amount of behind the scenes hellery and the inability a leader really has when faced with a mass of people set in their ways for all sorts of reasons...