Highland Council Social Work Scandal

[SMEE]

Have a read of this and say what you think

Pt I

Easing social work boss's workload to cost ?25,000

By Lorna McCann

Published: 27 October, 2009

UNION leaders have voiced concerns that Highland Council wants to spend ?25,000 of tax-payers' money on easing the workload of one of its most highly-paid council officers so she can continue to represent a national organisation.

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The move has sparked anger and led to calls for senior officials to consider standing down from outside bodies at a time when the authority is facing budget cuts.

Harriet Dempster earns ?105,450 a year as director of the authority's social work department, which is currently overspent by ?3.4 million.

However, councillors are being asked to set aside a further ?25,000 to temporarily promote a member of staff to act as chief operating officer for the department.

The move would allow Ms Dempster more time to attend meetings in her additional role as president of the National Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW) ? an organisation whose role is to advise on government policy and help councils improve their service.

Whoever is promoted would be charged with, amongst other things, implementing the social work's budget recovery plan.

However, Unison branch secretary Shane Manning said yesterday he was concerned at plans to invest money when budgets were already stretched and cuts amounting to ?80 million were on the cards.

"Workloads should be prioritised without having to invest further money to allow chief officials to deal with national issues," he said. "Perhaps it is time to set these aside at this difficult time."

"We are being told by management that some very difficult choices lie ahead and staff are having to work as efficiently as they can.

"That does impact on members with them taking up more duties so these tough choices should be taken at the very highest level of the council as well."

Councillor Donnie Kerr is shocked that councillors will be asked to approve this extra expenditure on Thursday.

"We are sending out the wrong message," he said.

"This will go down like a lead balloon with staff members whose wages have gone down as a result of pay equalisation."

He thinks Ms Dempster should be concentrating her efforts on problems within the council's social work department and not outside matters.

But Councillor Margaret Davidson, who chairs the council's social work committee, defended Ms Dempster's position, saying in recent months she had been spending as much time as possible addressing the department's financial issues.

She also insisted the director's involvement with the ADSW was not to blame for the overspent social work budget.

"There have been problems with the social work budget for some time but they have become more acute this year," she explained.

Ms Dempster admitted that her involvement with the association could take up between two and 15 hours a week, although stressed some work was done at home and at weekends.

She denied that she took on the role to further her career, insisting she was fully committed to the council.

She added that the decision to appoint an operating officer was not about her ability to the job, although it would give her "enhanced management capacity".

"If I was not doing my job properly we would not be looking at this report, other things would be happening," Ms Dempster said. "We now need to manage the situation and take charge of it and try and resolve it."

Councillor David Alston, the authority's budget leader said it was the right action to take and the council was trying to deal with its financial matters in a "business-like" fashion.

Pt II

Split over move to ease social work director's workload

Published: 30 October, 2009

INVERNESS councillor Peter Corbett broke away from the administration yesterday when he stood up and refused to spend ?25,000 of taxpayer's money on promoting a senior social work officer to ease the workload of one of the authority's most highly-paid directors.

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The Independent member was the first in a long line of councillors to voice their opinions on whether extra money should be spent on temporarily promoting a member of staff to cover for social work director Harriet Dempster, who gets paid ?105,450 a year, while she attends meetings in her additional role as president of the National Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW).

"I cannot support the recommendation," said the central ward member. "I agree it is right to restructure the service but I do not feel we have to increase our budget because of this.

"We manage to restructure services at the bottom without spending more and in fact often save money."

His comments came as Councillor David Bremner (Caithness) questioned how many other members of the Independent/Lib-Dem/Labour administration had been whipped into supporting the move.

The social work department is currently facing a ?3.4 million overspend and, among other tasks, whoever is promoted will be charged with implementing the budget recovery plan.

SNP councillor Bob Wynd (Culloden and Ardersier) said while he fully supported Ms Dempster's role at national level he could not support extra spending.

Councillor Donnie Kerr (Central) added: "We employ a director of social work on quite a high salary and we would expect them to concentrate on their job.

"We are facing such a high overspend, their commitment should be there."

Ms Dempster spends between two and 15 hours a week on matters related to the ADSW and yesterday she was not present at the full council meeting because of a pre-arranged conference in Crieff.

However, earlier this week she insisted she was committed to the council and the appointment would give her "enhanced management capacity".

Chief executive Alistair Dodds advised councillors yesterday the additional support was needed to make improvements in the service.

Councillor Liz MacDonald (Nairn) agreed, saying spending ?25,000 to bring the budget in line would be money well spent.

Councillors voted 58 to five in favour of the ?25,000 promotion. Three abstained.

Pt III

Social work chief turns down pay increase

Published: 20 November, 2009

Bill Alexander

THE man charged with trying to rein in Highland Council's social work overspend is refusing to take a pay-rise.

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Senior social worker Bill Alexander has been appointed chief operating officer after councillors controversially agreed to set aside up to ?25,000 to pay for an existing member of staff to be temporarily promoted to the job.

The decision prompted an outcry from unions, the public and a handful of councillors and yesterday Mr Alexander, who already earns ?72,000 a year, announced he would not accept the increase which would have taken his salary to ?90,000.

"I have been brought in to help manage the current situation and help us move forward and manage the current budget situation. It would be perverse if my very first action was to add to the council's financial difficulties," he said.

"I am a fairly well paid local government official and better paid than most people out there. I believe my current salary is appropriate to do the job."

Over the next six months Mr Alexander will step aside from his role as head of children's services to help ease the workload of social work director Harriet Dempster.

Among other things the move will allow Ms Dempster, who gets paid ?105,450, more time to attend meetings in her additional role as president of the Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW).

In his new post Mr Alexander will have the job of trying to manage the department's budget which is currently overspent by ?3.9 million.

"We have a very significant budget challenge just now and that is not something we can walk away from," he explained.

"In the short term we have to be as efficient as possible with the money we have.

"We are already spending money we do not have and we cannot continue to do that."

Mr Alexander said it was not an option to cut services to people who needed them but warned: "The money is not there for new, additional or extra services."

Personally, i think the whole thing stinks! Oh...and try this for cutting the deficit.....pay these people a hell of a lot less than they are getting, especially if they are away from there job and not looking after the needs of the Highland population!

Edited November 20, 2009 by SMEE

[The Fly]

I think the costs associated with someone sitting on a national advisory body should be covered by central govermeht, rather than falling on the local coundil. having said that, fair play to Bill Alexander for refusing the extra - ?72k is a pretty good salary, but not everybody in his position would turn down an extra ?18k.

It's interesting to see how little the Prime Minister gets paid compared not only to private sector management, but also that some local council heads get more!

[PullMyFinger]

Peter Corbett & Bill Alexander can walk with their heads held high. How much of our money is squandered by these hapless councillors?

[DornochCaley]

I hate the Highland Council.

[Alex MacLeod]

I think the costs associated with someone sitting on a national advisory body should be covered by central govermeht, rather than falling on the local coundil. having said that, fair play to Bill Alexander for refusing the extra - ?72k is a pretty good salary, but not everybody in his position would turn down an extra ?18k.

It's interesting to see how little the Prime Minister gets paid compared not only to private sector management, but also that some local council heads get more!

The Prime Minister's current salary is ?127,334, in addition to a salary of ?60,277 as a Member of Parliament. Oh! almost forgot...........+ what he can cream of the state for his bog roll and garden gnomes.

I do agree that central government should be footing the extra bill though.

Edited December 3, 2009 by Alex MacLeod