Another Wednesday, another crop of new jobs in the Society Guardian, and it appears that ‘diversity’ is very much the word of the week.
Peterborough prison service are hiring for a Diversity Manager to keep its staff up to date on the full-range of politically correct dos-and-don’ts with a salary range that stretches as high as £44,894. Is this really the most pressing need facing our prison system in the circumstances? It certainly seems a questionable use of valuable resources.
Winning this week’s non-job though is being recruited for an unnamed South East council:
"Gypsy & Traveller Liaison Officer – South East
Up to £15 per hour
Community Safety Skills currently require an experienced Antisocial Behaviour/ex Police Officer to cover a contract for a busy South East based local authority. The position is for an Gypsy & Traveller Liaison Officer.
The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the smooth co-ordination of a wide range of Council responsibilities spread over different services. They will therefore need to develop strong links with resource-holders in directorates in order to succeed in delivering these responsibilities, and will not be able to deliver the required outcomes alone.
Specific requirements are to:
1. Secure the recovery of Council-owned land from unauthorised encampment by Gypsy & Travellers by:
• Implementing the Council’s protocol on unauthorised encampments, including coordinating the work of various Council services and external agencies such as Thames Valley Police, the Primary Care Trust, etc
• Receiving, recording and responding to reports/complaints from residents/businesses/councillors/MPs/other agencies/council officers etc of potential and actual unauthorised encampments
• Ensuring that all illegal encampments are administered in accordance with due process of the law and in conformity with government guidance
• Visiting unauthorised encampments to establish and maintain contact with Gypsy & Traveller households, and to notify them that their presence on the land will not be tolerated
• Identifying and assessing (or commissioning the assessment of) the health, welfare and educational needs of any vulnerable members of those households
• Ensuring that Gypsies & Traveller households are directed towards appropriate health, welfare and educational services as required, and/or that such help is directed to them as required
• Ensuring that Gypsies & Travellers understand and respect the rights of Reading’s permanent residents and businesses
• Ensuring that Reading’s permanent residents and businesses understand and respect the rights of Gypsies & Travellers
• Ensuring that residents/businesses/councillors/MPs/other agencies/council officers are kept informed of actions to end problems arising from unauthorised encampments and recover possession of the land
• Gathering and evaluating evidence to support legal action by the Council to recover possession of its land
• Recommending to the Head of Legal Services (or other authorised officer of the Council) the earliest possible point at which Court proceedings may be begun with a positive expectation of success, taking into account all relevant evidence
• Enforcing the subsequent eviction of Gypsy and Traveller households as necessary
• Arranging for vacated land to be cleared and re-secured as necessary
2. Monitor and review the effectiveness of the Unauthorised Encampment protocol, and develop it as necessary
3. Protect Council-owned land from unauthorised encampment by advising on, and arranging for, suitable security measures to be taken
4. Liaise with other relevant authorities on all matters relating to Gypsies & Travellers, including (but not limited to) unauthorised encampments.
5. Advise private land-owners of their rights and obligations in respect of the eviction of Gypsies & Travellers
6. Advise officers and Members on all legislation and best practice relating to Gypsies & Travellers
7. Contribute significantly to the development and implementation of a Gypsies & Travellers Strategy"
And so the proliferation of demographic-specific local authority posts continues at a cost to taxpayers...