IT DOES NOT look like everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to savings at Thurrock Council.
Buried deep within the 268 page cabinet papers relating to Wednesday nights meeting, there is a reference to the council’s partners Serco and an overspend.
It states: “Cabinet will note that the only overspend within 2013/14 refers to Serco.
“The Council agreed a target saving of £1m in 2012/13 and, for the second year in a row, a lack of acceptable savings has been brought forward for officers to be able to agree.
This follows a history of non-achievement of savings with the Council’s Strategic Partner (Serco’s predecessor, Vertex) in 2010/11”.
Both council leader John Kent and housing portfolio holder, Lynn Worrall asked the chief executive of Thurrock Council, Graham Farrant that perhaps he would write a letter to Serco. Mr Farrant told the cabinet that he would certainly do so.
Hang on a moment. Didn’t the CEO just give an interview on the success he was achieving as CEO.
So he’s going to write a letter is he. In the meantime people are going to lose their jobs. Is it going to be a particularly stern letter along the line of “we’ve wrote you a letter and if you tell us to p1ss off, we’ll write you another letter telling you how unhappy we are”.
Have Thurrock Council been asked to write a sketch for the latest Monty Python tour?
Stephen
My stomach aches from laughing so much from your comments.
I’m not after laughs just realisation. If the monkeys perform then surely they should be appraised. The head monkey said he was successful. He now has to write a letter telling a contractor how displeased the council are at their non performance.
Not sure about you snakebite but that sounds like someone awarding themselves before they’ve performed.
Surely they should perform before they are rewarded. But I do take on your very serious comment on my lack of due diligence in terms of the CEO making comments without giving the slightest thought to previous comments made about how successful he is. I accept that the CEO is prone to some errors.
Can i suggest the problems have been known for a very long time. The troops that work hard to deliver a service should be rewarded. Maybe at the top a performance pay related scheme should be introduced. This is a very frightening prospect of job losses coming to thurrock. peoples lives will be turned upside down. waste, lack of common sense and bavkbone is needed at TBC.
Sorry Steven, I agreed with everything you said, I have seen this Council pat themselves on the back many times only to trip themselves up, I have never heard it expressed before in the way you expressed it. Apologies but it brightened my evening.
Cherry – agree with your comments. I’ve always been in favour of a flat pay structure with performance related pay. I don’t want anyone who baulks at that idea working for me. Customer service is a right, not a luxury. Here endeth today’s lesson. Now, where can I store this soapbox …..
Isn’t it time to admit this whole contract is a complete and utter failure and all efforts should be made if extricating Thurrock Council from it once and for all.