‘Gizza job – I can do that!’

Readers of a certain (ahem) vintage will be familiar with the title of this piece, going way back to the 1982 TV series ‘Boys from the Black Stuff’. It was the hopeless refrain of scouser, Yosser Hughes (pictured), summarizing his numerous pathetic attempts to re-establish his identity and sense of self-worth after a series of challenging life events.

Yosser may well have been tempted by two of the jobs currently being advertised by Folkestone and Hythe District Council – namely the Assets and Major Works Senior Specialist (salary band £44,845 – £50,305 – plus £3900 car allowance per annum) and reporting to that post, the Major Works Surveyor, currently only available to internal applicants as a secondment (salary band between £32,405 – £43,753).

Eagle eyed readers will of course recognise that these posts are vacant only due to the departure of their previous incumbents, following the swathe of suspensions and subsequent departures from the Council this year. Indeed it should be noted that the previous Assets and Major Works Senior Specialist, Anthony Wallner – received significantly more than the salary advertised above due to his TUPE protected pay following the demise of East Kent Housing. Wallner was suspended in March on FULL PAY on suspicion of a raft of misdemeanors before jumping ship in recent weeks prior to his disciplinary hearing taking place. So around 8 months salary paid for – what? The other officers who appear to have been scapegoated for failings all the way up to the top of the Council have also left.

The question is – who on earth would take on this poisoned chalice, knowing as we do, that senior management will throw those further down the food chain under a bus to save their own skins? The buck did not stop with some of those staff suspended earlier this year – they were failed and betrayed by the toxic culture presided over by the senior leadership team and as we have continued to report – failure to deliver statutory functions required. Institutional malfeasance you could say.

Maybe Yosser would be prepared to give it a go? After all, as a great man once said ‘when you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose’. (Bob Dylan for the uninitiated).

Good luck to whoever takes these roles on – you’ll need it.

The Shepway Vox Team

Journalism for the People NOT the Powerful