What has the world come to?

You phone the council to ask how many peas to put on your plate?   And someone is there to answer that question?

Surely we can half the deficit tomorrow just by sacking these nomarks?

Burt

I can only speak for myself when I say that in my view what she has answered is a question of her own choosing and one which we already knew the answer to. We know what PR departments do so it seems perfectly reasonable to ask for clarification on why it is necessary for councils to employ them to do this. It goes to the heart of what a council is and what it should be doing and it would be very interesting to hear the inside view of someone who clearly feels this is a legitimate way to spend taxpayers money.

I have a good feeling that this weekend we'll actually get a response. 

Karla - why do you consider it necessary and a good use of taxpayer money for councils to "get their message out"?  Why don't they either increase spending on their services instead or reduce the council tax bill?

java,
by all means keep going, but I think the point is proved.

As I said; forty years ago ratepayers could SEE their councils providing a service; they did not need an army of spin doctors to "get the message out".

My lot have just circulated us with a joy of volunteering propaganda sheet; it arrived two days after a Court injunction put a temporary stop on replacing staff who do a good visible job with volunteers. Clearly they have not got this particular "message out", as well as they hoped, a body of council taxpayers have taken them to court.

Communication problems?  or just people sick and tired of being fed patronising BS.?

Not forgetting that her stock in trade is condescension and abuse which we find is backed up by absolutely nothing. At least those of us who like to get stuck in are prepared to back up what we say or defer to a fair point.

If it is a wind up it is a very clever one, as little nuggets of information are dropped here and there over time:

- the 85k salary
- the gibberish job description which she maintains is "invaluable" to the community
- the large inheritance giving the champagne socialist aspect
- the modelling contract which was turned down post university

If all the above it just intended to drive the right wingers crazy, then fair play to her, but it takes a lot of patience to develop a fake persona like that.

An opportunity has become available for a Deputy HR Relationship Manager within the Customer and Communities/Environment & Infrastructure HR Relationship Team.

Deputising for the HR Relationship Manager, the Deputy HR Relationship Manager plays a key role in the strategic direction of the service by providing thorough and technically comprehensive advice on a range of human resource and organisational development issues.

As Deputy HR Relationship Manager you will work in collaborative partnership with the client group at a senior level to establish an excellent understanding of the client’s challenges and identify creative opportunities for operational and strategic intervention. Using established proficiency across the range of HR & OD fields, you will provide the highest level of technical advice to colleagues and customers in order to resolve highly complex and sensitive casework where there is a significant risk to the organisation.


Here's another non-job from the esteemed Surrey County Council. The salary is only £46K per annum though. Can anyone understand what that load of bol locks actually means? Surrey's your neck of the woods,isn't it Blackie, why don't you give this a try?

Any chance of an answer from you since you are here?

Karla - why do you consider it necessary and a good use of taxpayer money for councils to "get their message out"?  Why don't they either increase spending on their services instead or reduce the council tax bill?

arley I'm a Kent lad, besides I would rather starve to death than steal for a living, which in effect is what these people do.

Crippen

Me? I'm not the one stomping around trains looking for innocent bags to throw down the aisle.

For Leicester Council:
'The new PR team organisation will have 25 people, including digital media officers and "brand managers". The highest-paid position will be the director of marketing and communications who will earn £75,000.
The lowest salary in the department will be £26,000, paid to two of the council's marketing officers.'

Ffs, the lowest salary is massive - for a grade with no supervisory responsibilities - and people still believe that wages in the private sector are comparable

Mr Eeternal

You are a complete bozo. I spend my life contributing to my community in ways an extreme Libertarian like you could never comprehend. You have found nothing. I answered your stupid rhetorical question, the fact you don't like or understand the reply is your problem. And the only thing that people will find amusing is the site of you and Mr Java parading around this thread demanding another answer as you didn't like the one I gave. Don't you criticise the EU for continuing to ask until they get the answer they want?

Yet more dirty linen which the last administration should explain.
http://www.crazycouncil.co.uk/special-executive

Looking at the numbers of employed staff for the ahem randomly chosen council in the link above we see that in
2002: 3480 employed staff ( this was the last year the UK ran a balanced budget )
2008: 4709 employed staff ( this is the recession year when tax revenues dived )
2010: 5827 employed staff ( because the way to fight a recession is to borrow recruit and spend yet more )
I suspect some errors in the figures, and some variation in part-timers, but how in the name of Andrew Jackson did this one disrict come to require 67% more local Council employees in the space of 8 years.

Karla

Look at the replies on this thread from people from the left. The right aren't the only ones sick of people like yourself making fortunes from fantasy jobs. We all want to see bobbies on the beat, nurses, doctors, firemen, binmen, cleaners etc etc. None of us want lesbian trombone facilitators or precious imbeciles like yourself miling the system. Get a job you leech.

Exactly, moisok. Personnel Departments have long since become Human Resources Departments full of jargon. These departments (and PR departments) have escalated in size and self importance.

For so many small businesses the payment of rates has become the straw that breaks the camel's back. How many pubs, shops and workshops could have remained open, providing employment and serving the local community, if they had not been compelled to pay for the odious self service that so much of Local Government has become.

wouldnt it be interesting if you got rid of both and the bosses of other depts did their own PR, job interviews and looked after their people in their own department

My Council is advertising for a Corporate Communications Manager, to help "celebrate the Olympics and Diamond jubilee".

Only for six months though.

Maybe we should put the pot chomper out of her misery and allow this thread to die of her embarrassment?

Well they are as welcome as you to post where you said why councils need to get their message out. As I have pointed out we all know what PR departments do the issue is why do councils feel the need for them to do it?

As I said I may have missed you clarifying the matter.