Nice work if you can get it in West Sussex 4

Tim Aker Burning Our Money

A TPA supporter has sent us this non-job he found, as well as his response below:

"Considering the state of the finances and services in West Sussex and the ever increasing demand on council tax payers, I was slightly bemused to see the above advertisement in the Sunday Times yesterday.

The advertisement is for a "Director Operations Customer Services", a dynamic new position with a salary of up to £121,000 p.a. plus benefits (Presumably a final salary pension amongst other benefits).

I was also extremely irritated to be referred to as one of 750,000 "Resident customers". I have no choice where to source the few services that we actually use locally and I wish my own company’s customer base was as easily sourced!

Whilst I do not want to seem to be whinger, I fail to see how my lot and that of many other local council tax payers, will improve by further unnecessary expenditure by the County Council to "Drive council-wide customer services aimed at raising customer satisfaction with local residents and enhancing the Council’s reputation".

I would be pleased to hear the Council’s response to the above.

Yours sincerely
John Williams"

John raises some excellent points. Why are we referred to as ‘customers’? Customers, I’ve always believed, have their custom, which they can take elsewhere if they dislike a service provided. We can’t with local government. It forcibly takes our money and squanders it on non-jobbers using government-gobbledegook to scratch out a reason for their job’s existence.

If you spot any non-job in your local paper – just like John did – email it to us so we can publicise the waste. We’ve had local papers, which routinely look at our website, pick up the stories we find and print them in their papers before. So let’s drum it home to Britain’s taxpayers just how much of our money is being wasted. In the meantime, give John some support and write to the Chichester Observer telling residents about this shocking waste of taxpayers’ money.

Tim Aker

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Chris Whittington

I suspect this:
“Drive council-wide customer services aimed at raising customer satisfaction with local residents and enhancing the Council’s reputation”.
actually means “PR/spin/press releases/glossy magazine production/woffle in order to confuse the taxpayers/voters from seeing the functionaries’ pay, councillor expense allowances and secure index-linked pension pots” ie whitewasher of multiple snouts in trough.
Steve Robson

Its no wonder John William’s can’t find any customers if he’s too stupid to notice the County Council services. Schools, roads, street lighting and footpaths are visible even to the most unobservant. Libraries and Fire Services can be a little harder to spot. I guess Social Services only become visible either when you need them or when they go wrong, perhaps because of some cut proposed by the TPA.
I could mention more services, but you people would rather prefer to pretend they don’t exist wouldn’t you.
As for calling managing customer services in an integrated manner a non job, you people do take the biscuit. You claim to want better services for a lower cost, but any initiatives to achieve that you oppose. If you idiots were in power, taxes would double!
Acorn

I am thinking of applying for this, nice little earner. The advert does not tell how limited the jobs sphere of influence will be. The vast majority of service areas he/she will deal with have their operational procedures dictated by central government in Acts and associated Statuary Instruments.
The money is good. I would have expected this to be an Assistant Director/”Head of Service” post at about £70,000.
http://www.allchichesterjobs.com Job Abijah

ha ha Acorn, how did you get on with your application?
Just out of interest, did this item get picked up by the Chichester Observer does anyone know?
Let’s hope the funding for this position wasn’t invested in any Icelandic banking organisations!