Leader of Shepway District Council, Cllr David “Drury” Monk (Con) and Corporate Director for Resources Jeremy Chambers have been exploring alternative service delivery projects for SDC.
Shared services between Ashford Borough Council and Shepway District Council have been under exploration since 2014. SDC admit there is a risk that unless there is clarity over the shared working outcomes then the projects may not be delivered. They also admit there is a risk both financially and reputationally.
Senior Managers at SDC have been in close contact with their counterparts at Ashford Borough Council and have consider a number of smaller projects initially, which are easily manageable and have more certain outcome.
What are these smaller projects?
What have the costs of the smaller projects been to date?
How significant is the financial risk?
How significant is the reputational risk?
Furthermore, SDC admit There is a risk to the council that the council will not be able to attract and retain those officers who have the professional skills which are essential to the delivery of the corporate plan. A second risk is if the council is unable to access additional investment to deliver corporate plan objectives.
SDC Senior Managers are looking into the development of a framework of specialist consultants who can be commissioned by the organisation to provide additional support if required. The result will be a pool of resources which the council can call on if necessary with a faster lead in time than using standard recruitment methods each time. Consultants on the list will still be subject to the council’s usual procurement and contract standing order rules.”.
Who are these “Consultants”?
How much have these consultants cost?
What additional support is required?
SDC it would appear need assistance in recruiting people. It did not have any difficulty when it employed Andrina Smith (pictured) and her three assistants. One might ask if Ms Andrina Smith is up to the job as head of HR, when SDC need to call in “consultants”.
No doubt SDC will not answer any of our questions, nor will they answer any FOI within 20 days. But there’s an idea for anyone with the time.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Leave a Reply