- Mobile site
- E-Newsletters
-
- News feed
- Find us on Twitter
@bournemouthecho
All the latest news and chat from the Echo
@bmthechosport
All the latest sport from the Echo team
- Find us on Facebook
Bournemouth Daily Echo
Like us on Facebook
Concerns over services at council's bid to save £500,000 a year by restructuring (From Bournemouth Echo)
When news happens text pix and video to 80360. Start your message with BE then leave a space.
Concerns over services at council's bid to save £500,000 a year by restructuring
5:00pm Friday 20th July 2012 in Poole By Diana Henderson
Concerns have been raised about the work load if adult and children’s services were the responsibility of one Borough of Poole director.
In a bid to save more money the council proposes a restructure of its senior management, which will see one of its four strategic directors lose their job, saving around £100,000.
A reduction in the number of service heads from five to four in adult social care and children’s services was also proposed and a probable merger of some of the 17 service units, to save £500,000 a year.
Among those raising concerns was Liberal Democrat Cllr Sandra Moore who said: “The risk is safeguarding not just children but also adults.
“It’s a massive remit and with the change in the age of transfer, school support is of prime importance.”
Borough of Poole unanimously approved the proposals put before them by chief executive John McBride, after he told councillors the director would have an overseeing role while the unit heads would deal with the detail.
The council will in future be organised under three themes, with units grouped as to whether they deal with place, people or business improvement.
And while the employees structure may change, council leader Cllr Elaine Atkinson intends to retain a seven strong cabinet with portfolio holders keeping responsibilities.
This is the start of a service review for the local authority, which needs to save £13m over the next two years. It has already made savings of £22m and reduced staff by nine per cent.
Mr McBride had considered his own role as part of the review but said with a hung council, “now was not the right time” to be without a head of the paid service.
Comments(11)
Old Colonial
says...
5:43pm Fri 20 Jul 12
And not before time. Too many chiefs and not enough indians.
Hobad1
says...
7:56pm Fri 20 Jul 12
muscliffman
says...
8:17pm Fri 20 Jul 12
I just cannot see why public-sector workers in their cosy risk-free environment with publicly funded pensions for life world are on anything like this sort of money in the first place.
Look at recent records for some of those in Bournemouth, it certainly has nothing to do with ability!
Wintonian
says...
9:26pm Fri 20 Jul 12
muscliffman wrote:Well it doesn't say the person is on £100,000, it says the saving will be £100,000.
....'In a bid to save more money the council proposes a restructure of its senior management, which will see one of its four strategic directors lose their job, saving around £100,000.'
I just cannot see why public-sector workers in their cosy risk-free environment with publicly funded pensions for life world are on anything like this sort of money in the first place.
Look at recent records for some of those in Bournemouth, it certainly has nothing to do with ability!
Since each four service directors presumably has a PA, the loss of one PA is surely a part of the saving?
arthur1948
says...
11:02pm Fri 20 Jul 12
step up
says...
12:16am Sat 21 Jul 12
muscliffman wrote:Quite!
....'In a bid to save more money the council proposes a restructure of its senior management, which will see one of its four strategic directors lose their job, saving around £100,000.'
I just cannot see why public-sector workers in their cosy risk-free environment with publicly funded pensions for life world are on anything like this sort of money in the first place.
Look at recent records for some of those in Bournemouth, it certainly has nothing to do with ability!
billd766
says...
2:33am Sat 21 Jul 12
I worked offshore in some countries that nobody in their right mind would want to go to and worked an average 70 hours a week and got NO benefits.
NO company car, health scheme, pension, comfortable office, staff to make tea and coffee for me.
I am retired now but I am willing to take a job on the council for 50% of a directors salary and I "promise" I will word hard for the community as a whole.
BIGTONE
says...
8:03am Sat 21 Jul 12
Savings achieved..
jobsworthwatch
says...
9:19am Sat 21 Jul 12
BIGTONE wrote:Why have Portakabins, just do away with councilors and have direct e-democracy via our lap tops...smart phones even!
Scrap the Town Hall and get half a dozen Portakabins.
Savings achieved..
Victor_Meldrew_Lives!
says...
3:17pm Mon 23 Jul 12
boyerboy says...
5:33pm Fri 20 Jul 12
ors and Directors first.