Kent Council leader Paul Carter in a recent letter published in the Telegraph, clearly takes exception to the tax payers alliance, public sector Rich list, which of course places Kent's own Chief Executive Peter Gilroy in third place from the top, on a miserly quarter of a million pounds plus.
Councillor Carter, cites the responsibilities of Chief Executives in authorities the size of Kent, wittering on about the amount of young people in education, the 40,000 odd staff, and two billion budget to run Kent Services.
Still Paul Carter has a point, the job is responsible, but then presumably Peter Gilroy doesn't do it all on his own, (in fact surely Paul Carter himself ought to take some blame as leader of the council, he is presumably the boss ?)and he has various officers who are often referred to as director's who run the various departments of local government.
If one cares to take a gander, and KCC's senior management chart, excluding ordinary office wallahs, he (CEO)has no less an eight directors of this that and the other, including a Director Of Commercial Services (I didn't realize KCC was a business), Director Of Public Health (I understand Mr. Gilroy once worked in Health Care) and a Director Of Strategic Development And Public Access (god knows?). Its probably a long shot but I’m willing to bet, most of this lot are trousering a hundred grand at least and in some cases for what?
Excuse the diversion but something else that I worry about with Paul Carter, is this in the run up to the local elections, I have received an election leaflet from the Conservative party, I have no wish to be unkind but if you take away, details of the candidates, photograph of Roger Gale and Laura Sandys grinning, with a paragraph of complete waffle, and remove the Saint George's flag on the other side, your find, at least in my ward, a blank piece of paper, absolutely no policy whatsoever from Kent conservatives, as to what they intend to offer, us the electorate should they be re-elected.
Now this is why you need to worry whether Paul Carter is competent and up to leading Kent Council, Kent Tories are facing an local county election next month, and yet their election leaflets, in the run up to the county elections, contain no policies what so ever.
I just wonder when Paul Carter lists his reasons, why he thinks council officers, like the chief executive are worth, a higher salary than the prime minister, whether he is not also factoring into the equation, that the council officers, are there to deliver policy, because simply put it, appears neither he or his clique have the remotest clue about initiating policy.
Briefly returning to Paul Carter’s assertions, about Fat Cats being worth all the Gold Top they can guzzle, it seems that I’m not the only sceptic, since not one letter published in the Telegraph, in response his fat cats are worth it stuff, seemed to concur.
Here is a sample of what people think about Paul Carter’s defence of overpaid council staff “puts foward the bizarre notion” “A bricklayer is worth it, a head teacher is worth it, but, sorry, Mr Carter, a "chief executive" is not.”
Anyway click here for responses to Cllr Paul Carters letter from the Telegraph website
PS since writing this I understand the Tory group do indeed have manifesto which is about to be unleashed tomorrow. Hurrah !
Please excuse my ignorance but does MR Carter in fact earn more than MR Brown for running Kent just a small piece of Britain ?
ReplyDeleteBlood suckers.
ReplyDeleteConservative led KCC hasnt been the same since Sandy Bruce Lockhart retired - Paul Carter just doesnt have the same magic i am afraid - maybe its the difference between a gentleman farmer and a construction spiv!
ReplyDeleteAnon 4.13: Cllr Carter in not on £250,000 but Mr Gilroy. Cllr Carter does this because he wants give up his time to serve the people of Kent. You may ask what his motives are? Fame? a knighthood seeker? useful contacts? or even the £65,000 a year allowance and expenses. The 84 councillors in Kent get about £21K each for giving up their time. As a comparision Gloucestershire County councillors (64 of them) average only £13K and Leicestershire (57 of them) average £15K. Although KCC may have a bigger population, the effort required from each councillors cant differ so much that KCC's councillors get 45 percent more than the average.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies about mr carter instead of Gilroy. Surely these so called fat cats days are numbered with their bonuses and over inflated expenses especially with the climate the way it is today and the almost imminent cut backs.
ReplyDeleteTony, the reason you have received a leaflet this week is because you probably paid for it out of the money that Roger Gale claims from you and me as expenses! Once the pre election period starts, any spending on leaflets is strictly controlled so this one has been slipped in gratis.
ReplyDelete9:16 Crikey what a bonus, I can't wait for the real thing to drop through the letter box
ReplyDeleteI can assure you, anon 0916, and Tony, the leaflet he is referring to is not Roger Gale's, tho his picture is in it with his permission, but mine and Mike Jarvis. I can also assure you no one paid for it except us, as with the design and content.
ReplyDeleteWhat is not often appreciated is there is a limit on what you can spend once the election is called, which is from next week. Thus most political parties put material out close to the election calling date, and then manifesto type documents as the election is called.
The full manifesto is published today. I will personally deliver you a copy Tony, probably on Monday. I hope you can sleep over the weekend and not get too excited!
Cllr carter fails to point out that gilroy is in finance and if he was in the private sector he would be getting most of his renumeration in an annual bonus.
ReplyDeleteWith a global recession, and somewhere between £10,000,000 and £50,000,000 lost on his watch, he would not be getting a bonus this year and would probably have lost his job.
Still, a £250,000 salary, not performance related, ie, paid in good and bad years, is only about double the equivalent private sector salary.
Just in case you are worried we live in ignorance of the Cons manifesto too - didnt even get a flag leaflet - maybe because they cant be bothered to try for our vote?
ReplyDeleteHave to say i think Clive Hart has done more to earn votes than Chris Wells but we shall see what everyone else thinks?