Nov 2008 12

Non-job of the week4

Guardian_nonjobs_121108_3Unemployment up today, 5,000+ jobs lost yesterday and yet 698 jobs within government advertised today.  Today’s non-job comes from Cheshire East Council:

“Head of Policy and Performance
£81,000

Can you take us to the next level?

This is an opportunity for you to have a significant impact – developing a brand new organisation with its own identity, objectives and priorities. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, as a key member of the Corporate Management Team, you will lead and develop the Council’s corporate policy and performance functions and inform and support strategic decision making. You will lead the Council’s involvement in the development and review of Community Strategy, through partnership working, performance management frameworks and coordinating CAA. You will take a strategic lead in developing a neighbourhood working and citizen focussed approach to service delivery.

Our ideal candidate will have the ability to establish and maintain genuine and meaningful partnerships with a variety of organisations, possessing considerable knowledge of performance management frameworks and regimes. Overall, you will help us ensure that services are configured around the needs and aspirations of customers and the wider community.

To find out more about this post, visit our recruitment website http://www.cheshireeastrecruitment.com or talk to our advising consultants, Zoe Whitehead 0113 205 6094 or Kelly Shaw 0113 205 6095.

Closing date for applications: 4.30pm, Friday 5 December 2008.”

Firstly, it should be councillors who set policy.  Every election they have these things called manifestos where candidates tell us their platforms.  These, my friends, are policies.  Therefore the head of policy should be the leader of the council.  Secondly, there are already armies of officers in place to inform decision making.  Council groups have their own research staff, as well as officers, to give advice.  Developing neighbourhood working and ‘citizen focussed approach to service delivery’ must mean providing frontline services.  Contradictory as it is, employing an officer that takes funds away from the frontline defeats the object of providing a frontline service somewhat.

Finally, be aware that these bureaucrats have the power more often than not to be the actual power behind the throne in local government.  Despite popular belief, and as angry as we can get at the blithering madness of councillor decisions, guess where most of the unthinkable policies coming out of local government emanate from? 

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  • Hardeep_Singh

    I’m still waiting for the day Tim when you sadly acknowledge that you’re leaving the TPA to take up your new role as blah-blah co-ordinator” at the Bloated Council. Hoping to make a real difference to ordinary people. You’ll finally be able to present your argument of how your (by then) dear Bloated Council is needlessly hounded by the TPA and hinder your work helping real families at the expense of those artifically manufactured ones. Hopefully upon appointment of your new post you’ll be able to finally get that copy of socialist worker posted through your letterbox without having to pay for it!
    Until then you’ll just have to report on the TPA campaigns :)

  • john graham

    Hardeep is, as always, bang on the button with the added touch of humour- nice to see at least a smile coming from our (enforced) payment of 81k for another useless muppet… which is about all we will get for our hard earned..

  • Cats Eyes

    As already outlined by the TPA, there is a rather large cottage industry living very high on the hog on these salaries. They have been aided by a government that has established inadequate computer systems ( at great cost) that condemn, lower paid workers to spend the best part of the day populating inadequate forms and not actually going out to meet the public.
    This elite moves from job to job earning a small fortune. Usually they are on the 5th floor or 12th floor, any where which means they do not see the ‘poor bloody infantry’, or have to meet members of the public. Meanwhile, the rest of us try and do a reasonable job under trying circumstances :-)

  • Cats Eyes

    As already outlined by the TPA, there is a rather large cottage industry living very high on the hog on these salaries. They have been aided by a government that has established inadequate computer systems ( at great cost) that condemn, lower paid workers to spend the best part of the day populating inadequate forms and not actually going out to meet the public.
    This elite moves from job to job earning a small fortune. Usually they are on the 5th floor or 12th floor, any where which means they do not see the ‘poor bloody infantry’, or have to meet members of the public. Meanwhile, the rest of us try and do a reasonable job under trying circumstances :-)