IT IS probably only fair that I am sometimes criticised for what I write in this column.

After all, I use my weekly chance to have a pop at local targets to be very critical of many local individuals and institutions. I am not surprised that they sometimes want to get back at me.

I expect entrenched members of the establishment to express their discomfort even if, frankly, I wish they had some ideas to address the problems I highlight.

It is sometimes a bit weird, but I get used to being told by former journalists now working in the council's press office that there are lots of good things happening. It is weird because, when, in their previous employment, they were on the outside looking in, they didn't find any reasons to celebrate.

Now, with me, this is not the case. You see, I think that the city council employs lots of great staff and delivers many good services. From Dimensions leisure centre to the Gladstone Pottery Museum, there are places for great entertainment.

Our libraries and museums provide an imaginative and vital cultural backdrop. Our streets are cleaner than many cities I visit and our bins are emptied and the contents recycled.

Dedicated and skilled staff work away 52 weeks a year to educate or protect our children or to care for the vulnerable.

Our Job, Enterprise and Training (Jet) Centres are trying all sorts of imaginative ways to help the unemployed into the few vacancies that exist. And, these are just a few of the successes.

My quarrel is not with the frontline staff or middle managers, but with the leaders. This week, even by our standards, things have reached an all time low.

It has taken our councillors almost 18 months to replace Steve Robinson who had held the chief officer post for only about that time.

Their choice of a soft drinks salesman who had been in local government for only a short period (and that in a tiny rural authority) is perhaps best described as surprising.

However, John van de Laarschot comes with glowing praise from his present employers and perhaps he is the Mr Wonder Bigshot that we need. I shall certainly give him a chance.

What is shocking about the appointment is the reaction of the unsuccessful applicant. Chris Harman had been acting as chief executive for the interim period and perhaps felt the permanent job was his.

He has been on paid sick leave since failing to become the authority's permanent chief executive two weeks ago. He is now seeking a pay-off after claiming his role is untenable.

If one needed a justification for passing over him for the new chief, his reaction to failure is just that. Here is the person who is supposed to be the top man in our paid service and he goes off sick without making any provision for his succession.

Even more shocking is the fact that he could receive a pay off. It would, in my view be entirely wrong to pay him for anything more than the days actually worked. I hope our councillors have the backbone to reject out of hand any claims from any member of staff who quits their post without proper notice.

Even more bizarre is the week's news from the Labour group (or should that be gaggle?).

Here the leader, Mike Barnes, has stood down from the group after allegations that he impersonated a BBC journalist in order to gather gossip (a claim that he denies). He says that he will fight to clear his name and I make no judgment on the facts of the case.

However, what is incontrovertible is that one of the main opposition groups of councillors, having appointed a controversial and unpopular leader have had to elect a new leader.

One would call them a bunch of clowns if the humour were not so black!

So, we have good staff, but the city continues to decline because of instability at the top caused by self interest and politicking. Interestingly, as I say with monotonous regularity, that is precisely what the Government's Governance Commission reported last year. Where is the Transition Board, appointed to assist the move to effective governance? Where is the Government or the regional Minister as our sub region falls into chaos? We can't afford another year of rudderless drift. We need action now.