Leith Sucks.net

We at Leithsucks have been applying ourselves diligently to the financial black hole, created by the senior council officials in children and families, and we have just a few observations to put to you. Why have the city council got a Chief Executive and a Director of Corporate Services? Is the Chief Executive Head of the council or not. If so, why do we also have a Director of Corporate Services? Who is in charge of whom? Is it not Mr Aitchison’s job to oversee all the departments in the Corporate end of the Council of which there are at last count 5 – City Development, Children and Families, Finance, Health and Social Care and Services to Communities? It appears to us that either Mr Aitchison does not have a proper role in the council, or he is just a highly paid figurehead, who defers to his director of Corporate Services, Mr Jim Inch. Either way it looks clear to us that there is very costly and unnecessary duplication of roles here and that either Mr Aitchison or Mr Inch are surplus to requirement. Mr Tom Aitchison is paid approximately £145,000 a year, this is minus his lift for his shambolic returning officer duties, and Mr Inch £110,000, quite scandalous really, don’t you think. 

The structure of the each of these council departments is almost identical. Take Children and Families for example, there is a director Gillian Tee who has a Head of Neighbourhood Services, Mike the FRAUDSTER ROSENDALE, but in addition, she also has five Neighbourhood Managers in the five city neighbourhoods. Why do we need a highly paid Head of Neighbourhood Services, who is based at Waverley Towers when we have five highly skilled and highly paid managers out in the neighbourhood? Unnecessary duplication. There are middlemen everywhere.

Check out the departments here; http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Council/Council_Business/CEC_guide_to_council_departments and here www.egfl.net. This is a common pattern in all the five departments in this council. This is a common pattern in all the five departments in this council. 

We would strongly recommend that the Lib/Dems and SNP alliance take note of this example, in light of the financial crisis these officers created in this city, and call for an urgent review of all matters Corporate in this council. Do not think for a minute that these Corporate Fat Cats are going to have a viable rescue plan for schools and community centres up their sleeves. As usual they will be planning for that old gravy train, that they are all aboard, to keep rolling and the front-line services will be offered up as a means of filling the black hole they created through negligence, incompetence or just perhaps quite deliberately.  

ADDRESS THE UNNECESSARY DUPLICATION AT THE CORPORATE END OF THE COUNCIL AND YOU WILL ENCOURAGE THE OTHER EMPLOYEES IN THE FRONT-LINE SERVICES THAT YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT DELIVERING SERVICES AT COST TO THE PEOPLE OF EDINBURGH AND NOT PROVIDING UNNECESSARY JOBS FOR FAT CATS.    

LIB/DEMS AND SNP – S/HE WHO HESITATES IS LOST.