Jun 2011 15

Non-job of the week4

A councillor’s job is to represent their constituents interests. They should be finding out what is going on in the community, engaging people in the democratic process, and where there are problems, they should be troubleshooting, ensuring we get what we pay for. Why then does Oxford City Council require a Tenants Involvement and Development Officer?  Here’s part of the job description:

The post of Tenants Involvement and Development Officer, within Oxford City Council’s Communities and Neighbourhoods Team, offers an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic team player to develop and support new and existing ways of involving tenants and leaseholders and enabling participation from a broader range of tenants and leaseholders in all areas of work related to Oxford City Council.

Do we really need extra council officers to enable this? Isn’t this what councillors and community groups do? Of course councils should be listening to tenants’ concerns, but they don’t need to employ extra staff to prove they are.

Non-Job of the WeekThe accolade this week though goes to Greenwich. The council is searching for an Active Travel Development Officer. The job description goes like this:

Greenwich is continuing its dynamic transformation. We are developing land, buildings and new transport links to make our Borough the destination of choice for people who live, work or visit Greenwich.

This role is based in the Council’s Strategic Development team, a team responsible for the corporate Greener Greenwich programme. Funded by Greenwich NHS, this role will develop and expand Active and Sustainable Travel in the Borough with the aim of increasing the numbers of local people making the positive choice of including physical activity in their daily travel plans.

As a great communicator you’ll be able to create links between organisations and individuals. Working with partner agencies and local people you will be developing and promoting activity which will help deliver both sustainable transport and health improvements to those in Greenwich.

Here we go again! The nanny state wants you to change your lifestyle. On one hand the council says it believes in choice, and on the other it preaches at us, telling us the choices it wants us to make. All of us have a right to freedom of speech. Just don’t use my money to tell me what to do!

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  • http://www.facebook.com/rebeccalouise.woods Kimari Raven

    Not all local authority jobs are like this. http://www.southeastjobs.org.uk is a good local authority jobs database and has teaching positions and positions in social care. Definitely needed I think!

  • Nonconformist2011

    Wittering on about a few council jobs you don’t understand and can’t be bothered to find out about  properly is non journalism and a waste of time.  Why not concentrate on non payers of tax, non doms and non sensically overpaid executives etc ?  Non elected corporations do far more damage – in secret ! – than all the sitting duck councils you aim your boringly predictable pop guns at every day. Wake up and smell the REAL waste and  corruption TPA

    • Tony

      There is a big difference between what private companies do with their profit and what councils do with OUR money. A private company stands or falls according to how well it treats its customers and shareholders and is rewarded when we like what it does. If we don’t, then shares go down and senior figures are sacked.

      We HAVE to pay our council tax (irrespective of how much we use it) and get little or no say in how that money is spent. Even when the level of service is poor and waste (like these jobs) goes unchecked, senior figures continue to pull massive salaries. Surely we should be able to criticise this?

      Private companies provide worthwhile jobs (or they simply wouldn’t exist), pay its executives what the market decides is appropriate and pays vast amounts of tax (that go to fund government and council services). Not to say that this is perfect – but I am rather more concerned about what happens to the money that is taken from me by local councils. At the very least it should be spent on essential services that enhance the lives of those in the community who deserve it most – instead of throwing it away on these useless positions. ‘Enabling tenant participation in Councils Activities’ and ‘encouraging exercise on the way to work’! A total waste of money – don’t tell me there aren’t more deserving causes.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2FI6O6Q7XPG6KCIUFIPXMYDCZ4 john

    I heard a great one on LBC this morning in London.  A councillor from the London Borough of Havering, describing the job of a ‘Falls Co-ordinator’.  I was intrigued. What can this mean? The job is to prevent old people from falling over. Yes, that’s right. They go into old peoples’ houses, assess the risks, and tell them how to stop themselves from falling over. Thirty eight grand a year for that…