“"The council will be an excellent council where things are done well. Leading the council¿s officer team, Chris intends to make sure the council continues to improve performance, increase customer satisfaction and provide excellent value for money." - Stoke Gov UK Council and Democracy. I feel sure that Harman saw the redundancies looming on the horizon well before he skipped off the ship with the pursers safe. Won't he be due for a medical soon? Doubt it.”

“It has to come. Local authorities have been spending more than they have got. Their income from carparks sports centres etc will have reduced just like customers have disappeared from the private sector in this recession.
As some of your correspondents have said the cuts MUST be across the board. Departments have to merge or disappear along with their managers. The front line providers should be the last to go. There are too many in local authorities counting beans which don't need to be counted.
The other BIG problem is the gold plated pension scheme. Gordon Brown kindly pulled the plug on pensions in the private sector as his first move in 1997. Now he has wrecked the economy so that there is no investment income into the councils scheme meaning that 25% of every penny we pay in council tax simply goes to pay pensions. Ever likely the council has a big hole in it's budget. It's got to stop!!!”

“GOOD........Lets hope we see some more of the SIX THOUSAND WORKERS sacked. My council tax is crippling.............”

“The council would save £2m a year if people stopped chucking their litter everywhere. No pride in the Potteries there then. Only comes out when outsiders start having a dig.”

“You beat me to it there Hayley!

Can anyone remember reading this a little while ago.

"Angry protesters fail in attempt to stop council bonus packages!"

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Angry-protesters-fail-attempt-stop-council-bonus-packages/article-1388484-detail/article.html

From the above article...

"Chief executive Simon Baker is paid £151,628, while executive directors Andrew Stokes, Mark Trillo and Dai Larner are earning between £90,000 and £111,000. Heads of services take home between £50,000 and £62,000.

On top of this, each of the eligible 22 officers has between £7,000 and £21,000 paid into their pension funds, while senior officers also get a car allowance."


How can these people sleep at night? You vote yourself a healthy bonus, and within days are making the decision to make redundant not just a few but hundreds.

It's incompetenence at best, it's just disgusting. I wonder how many from the top tier of faceless, clueless, council chiefs will be stepping forwards and be giving up their jobs and handsome bonuses.

Just the bonuses alone would keep the average employee in a job..”

“If Harman does go and he will no doubts there, ask the question how much will he get from the gagging clause in his "retirement package" ????

In the past all high fliers at the City Council have received extra out of these packages, is not time that some of them now opened their mouths on these incompetent twits in control.”

“Two ways to save money, tell Harman to take a hike, then tell Van Der Wife Swap he's only getting 95k a year. Job done, money saved, workers still working, happy days.”

“What's happening with all the money this council is making with all the profits from this now city wide " Recycling " sceme that we the council tax payers are expected to do with our refuse collection, just how much money are the council clawing back off us & what do we get for doing this job for them ?
just a thought ...”

“my mum works the coucncil and has been asked by letter if she would be willing to be made redundant..she cant afford to be made redundant, who can? its a shame for these people who work for the council when you have the top people on really high wages maybe they should think about lowering their pay instead so they still have plenty of workers to help the communities”

“Not a good pay off at all Voter, I'm sticking out for more, but thanks for the thoughts.”