Sentinel Leader: Something badly awry

T HE revelations about the reasons behind some of the budget deficits at Stoke-on-Trent City Council raise serious questions. The system appears perilously close to collapse if officers simply do not implement decisions taken by elected officers. The explanation, that officers directly responsible for introducing a rise in car parking charges had left the council, is remarkable. Was there not a hand-over of outstanding matters to their successors, or deputies? And did no-one think, "What's happening?" when they saw no sign of the agreed increase? Things must be bad when the de facto acting chief executive calls his procurement department colleagues lazy for buying in agency staff rather than covering work from existing resources. Again, if the "lazy" managers have authorisation to directly hire temporary staff, is no-one watching over them, asking pertinent questions? And what should we make of the bald statement by the director of central services that the procurement department has not had a staff recruitment policy for at least the last three years?

A nd as for North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership recruiting officers without finding the £544,000 necessary for their salaries, the mind boggles at the carefree attitude towards public money. And no-one ever appears to suffer the consequences of their actions. Each glimpse behind the veil reveals a culture of complacency, ineffectiveness and unaccountability. The council's new chief executive is due to start work soon. How can one man change a workplace culture and galvanise the authority if some managers are as poor as this?