Bloated management largely avoids the cull

Yesterday Mr Mustard wrote about the proposed management levels under the One Barnet commissioning council concept. The proposed management structure was presented to the General Functions Committee as a reduction in headcount from 95 to 49. As always that does not tell the full story. There was a GFC meeting on 5 August 09 that also concerned the management structure. Here is the report:

5 August 09 Chief Exec Restructure

As usual the report to committee doesn't give you the facts that you require so Mr Mustard went off and got them. Here are the posts that existed at August 09.

Senior Management Structure @ August 2009

When did non-stick Nick Walkley start? Well, here is the first interview he gave to the local paper in March 09 when he started as Chief Executive. Thus, the management level at August 09 was broadly what he inherited. So the recent presentation to GFC of a reduction in management from 95 to 49 is not all that it seems as not long after Nick started there were "only" 57 senior managers so really that is the reduction we are looking at now, from 57 to 49 = a 14% reduction at a time when the planned staff outsourcing is in the region of 70%. It would seem that overpaid senior management are getting off lightly as compared to staff.

Just look at this proposed superstructure though: a Chief Exec, an Executive Director (presumably the no. 2) 7 Directors, 5 Deputy Directors, 11 Assistant Directors, a District Valuer (defies classification) and 30 Heads of Department. Now sit and ask yourself why?

What lesson can we draw from this:

It is undeniable that the senior management "team" have multiplied during Nick Walkley's watch and what a local authority does hasn't really changed all that much.

Why has management mushroomed?

The demands of One Barnet is a possibility.

Nick can't manage is another possible reason.

You can perhaps suggest other reasons in the comments box below?

This is a similar trick to parking where prices were doubled or trebled and then reduced a fraction which was hailed as a reduction. We are not so easily fooled, or amused.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard