Non-job of the week
Feb 2011 23

Non-job of the week18

If you are thinking about a visit to North Yorkshire, please be aware that Harrogate Council is looking for three new parking wardens. It could be three existing wardens are moving on to pastures new, or the council is expanding its operation. Looking around the country, I think it will be the latter. Raising extra revenue from motorists is a growth industry at the moment, so if you are over-hanging double yellow lines by three inches, don’t be surprised if your wallet feels lighter.

Surrey County Council is looking to improve performance. I’m sure our supporters in the county can easily give them a few examples, like not changing a bulb from a lamp post that isn’t connected to the mains electricity supply!

Instead the council intends to create a new job, and is seeking someone to become its new Performance Manager on £41,103 per annum. Here’s the job description.

Be a part of Surrey CC’s Front of House!

We’re looking for an enthusiastic and creative person to join us in the Customer & Communities directorate new Policy & Performance team. Our directorate has a very high public profile and includes many of the council’s “front of house” services, such as Trading Standards, Fire & Rescue, libraries and the Contact Centre. Following a re-structure, our team’s role has expanded and we are taking on new and exciting challenges.

To help us with this we are looking for a Performance Manager to get behind the numbers and forge effective partnerships. As a member of Policy & Performance, you will be part of a dynamic team working closely with officers across the Directorate and service areas, and with partners locally, regionally and nationally, to improve and develop quality public services. In this role you will lead, inspire, motivate, develop and manage staff within a culture of continuous improvement.

You will be analysing performance information proactively and developing and using benchmarking to identify service improvement to reduce costs, increase income and reduce inefficiencies. You will also be responsible for reporting on key parts of the directorate, both nationally and within Surrey County Council.

If you’re a strong team player with the ability to work creatively, with a passion for innovation and high quality service delivery, who can bring credibility to the role, we’d like to hear from you.

Judging by that, I think you also have to have a huge smile permanently painted on your face! Surrey County Council has a chief executive and numerous directors on large salaries. Beneath them is an army of managers. Reducing costs and inefficiencies is what they should be doing every day. Instead the council wants to employ someone else.

If the council genuinely wants to reduce costs, it should scrap this non-job idea now.

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  • Paul

    More perpetuation of the type of “war on motorists” rubbish spouted by those Top Gear dopes and the Fat Controller Pickles. Instead of ‘suspecting’ the worst why don’t you phone up said council and simply ask them what the score is with the parking wardens? Maybe they have a very particular parking issue they need sorting. Perhaps – god forbid – residents are actually asking for increased parking patrols in certain areas to protect their own area from being overrun by commuters. Who knows? You certainly don’t anyway. I’m a driver and its clear that car owners don’t actually pay the full costs of the impact of their vehicles anyway – let alone the social costs and irratation of folk who consider parking on yellow lines appropriate. If you don’t want to be fined then park your car appropriately – or don’t take it at all. Simples.

  • Paul

    More perpetuation of the type of “war on motorists” rubbish spouted by those Top Gear dopes and the Fat Controller Pickles. Instead of ‘suspecting’ the worst why don’t you phone up said council and simply ask them what the score is with the parking wardens? Maybe they have a very particular parking issue they need sorting. Perhaps – god forbid – residents are actually asking for increased parking patrols in certain areas to protect their own area from being overrun by commuters. Who knows? You certainly don’t anyway. I’m a driver and its clear that car owners don’t actually pay the full costs of the impact of their vehicles anyway – let alone the social costs and irratation of folk who consider parking on yellow lines appropriate. If you don’t want to be fined then park your car appropriately – or don’t take it at all. Simples.

    • Orac54aq

      How is it clear that car owners don’t pay the full costs of the impact of their vehicles?

      And what exactly is a “social cost”? Is that the cost of having had 13 years of Labour Government?

      • Paul

        Driving creates external costs (externalities) that are imposed on others. Being external, these are therefore not considered by each individual motorist. Motorists do not pay for any of these externalities it being covered by ordinary taxation from those who don’t drive as well as those that do. Rather than give you an essay on basic economic theory get the following book out of a library (if there is one still open in your area as seemingly the TPA don’t want to pay for such things) and read it.

        Economics at the Wheel: The Costs of Cars and Drivers, by Richard C. Porter

        I have no idea what your point about the previous labour government means.

        • Orac54

          Fuel duty is the 5th-biggest revenue-raiser in the UK’s tax system. More is raised in fuel duty than council tax. Are you suggesting that these “Externalities” (is there such a word in the OED?) outweigh that? To the tune of £30bn?

          When one takes into account that drivers are quite likely to pay more in income tax than those who don’t drive, that’s just wholly unbelievable.

        • Derek Buxton

          And I will bet thart you vote for the car hating party, lib-dems! Surprising isn’t it how many high paid “moochers” don’t want the people to have cars…just as long as they have them.

        • Derek Buxton

          And I will bet thart you vote for the car hating party, lib-dems! Surprising isn’t it how many high paid “moochers” don’t want the people to have cars…just as long as they have them.

        • Jason

          Paul,

          What about the incredible benefits society gains from having people drive?

          If we were to charge government for the economic gain from mobility offered by driving, it would far outweigh any trumped-up external costs supposedly imposed on others.

        • Joe

          Paul,
          I feel u r on the wrong bus altogether ( no pun intended). I suspect the comment about previous government is something to do with how much socialists hammered motorists along with everyone else!! I have not read Economics at the Wheel but would not imagine it extols the amount of tax through fuel duty etc that we drivers contribute to the Government’s coffers, but will say we r awful for causing greenhouse gases/global warming and other such nonsense.

  • CJD

    Performance Manager to get behind the numbers and forge effective partnerships. As a member of Policy & Performance, you will be part of a dynamic team working closely with officers across the Directorate and service areas, and with partners locally, regionally and nationally, to improve and develop quality public services.
    Please see above! ‘Forge effective partnerships’ with whom exactly and to what end? What ‘numbers’ is one required to ‘get behind’ QUESTION – What exactly is this person going to do? The above is crass nonsense and full of management bull****. I am a Surrey council tax payer QUESTION – if all this is management activity is required at SCC what exactly are the current in post managers doing??? I have never had a positive experience with County hall, ever, and I suppose that as a result of my experience we now need another manager to sort all this out one word – madness !!!

  • CJD

    Performance Manager to get behind the numbers and forge effective partnerships. As a member of Policy & Performance, you will be part of a dynamic team working closely with officers across the Directorate and service areas, and with partners locally, regionally and nationally, to improve and develop quality public services.
    Please see above! ‘Forge effective partnerships’ with whom exactly and to what end? What ‘numbers’ is one required to ‘get behind’ QUESTION – What exactly is this person going to do? The above is crass nonsense and full of management bull****. I am a Surrey council tax payer QUESTION – if all this is management activity is required at SCC what exactly are the current in post managers doing??? I have never had a positive experience with County hall, ever, and I suppose that as a result of my experience we now need another manager to sort all this out one word – madness !!!

  • Dominicgranite

    National Grassroots Coordinator. Now if ever there was a non-job title…..

  • Jefferysayers

    “I have no idea what your point about the previous labour government means”

    That doesn’t surprise me.

  • Jefferysayers

    “I have no idea what your point about the previous labour government means”

    That doesn’t surprise me.

  • Jefferysayers

    “I have no idea what your point about the previous labour government means”

    That doesn’t surprise me.

  • Jefferysayers

    “I have no idea what your point about the previous labour government means”

    That doesn’t surprise me.

  • Jefferysayers

    “I have no idea what your point about the previous labour government means”

    That doesn’t surprise me.

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