Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Dangerous Dogs - A Serious Problem, please read | |
Posted by: | Adam Beamish | |
Date/Time: | 09/04/09 23:38:00 |
Steve/Sarah, Apologies if perhaps my point sometimes comes over in an 'heavy handed' tone, that is never the intention of my posts, it is more a case that I never feel comfortable where there, rightly or wrongly, is an expectation amongst the public that I know a Local Authority cannot meet. I felt Sarah's post earlier today on this topic suggested that she had interpreted Councillor Harmer's previous posts as meaning that some kind of definite 'action' would be taken, and whilst I cannot speak for Councillor Harmer I fear that expectation (which I do not think he has set through his own posts) cannot be met. I must state however that I don't wholly agree with your views and I'll explain why from my own experience. I once had the misfortune to be employed at Team Leader level at a particular Council (the misfortune being the Council not the job !). My Director was approached by a Councillor who sat on the Executive expressing the unhappiness of his constitutents about the existence of an ugly fence to commercial premises. The fence had a history, numerous years back it had been erected without planning permission and had been investigated by the enforcement team, who at their stage did its duty by getting the owners to submit a retrospective planning application. That application then got mislaid by a Planning Officer and the Council forgot all about the fence, so sufficient time passed for the fence to become immune from any action the Council could take and therefore lawful. The Director's response when the Councillor raised this issue again was to ask my boss (I wasn't employed at the Council at the time) to try to get the situation resolved. I could always see the logic in that, and had I been employed at this Council at that time I would have paid the owners a personal visit and tried to amicably discuss the situation with them to hopefully reach an compromise. However, my boss instead got one of our Team to write to the owners of the premises asking for their co-operation. Two letters were sent, neither were responded to, and that Officer also telephoned the owners, and was essentially told where to go, as the owner knew the Council had no legal powers. I was then employed by the Council and received an email from the Director telling me to get my staff to send yet another letter. The team I managed had, at that time, over 800 ongoing investigations, the vast majority of which had resulted from complaints from members of the public, and whereas those investigations could be legally enforced where appropriate, this fence could not be. As a Team Leader responsible for the resources of a Council function I attempt to raise my concerns with the Director, pointing out the legitimate expectation of the general public in respect of the 800 plus investigations we could do something about legally, the fact we had already tried 3 times to amicably approach the owners and been rebuffed, and the fact that if we continued to try to do so any other member of the public could either (a) reasonably request that we would do a similar thing for them despite having no statutory powers to do so, or (b) feel that Councillors were being given preferential treatment by Officers. I never gave any indication to the Director that I would not carry out the instruction. I felt those concerns, as a Team Leader in charge of the resources of a Council function, were wholly reasonable and professional. The response I received from my Director was blunt and to the point - "I will decide what you do and what you don't do". I never had before and never have been since addressed with such a complete lack of respect by a superior, and I duly told the Director that I would not carry out her request, as there were clear professionally justifiable reasons why it was not 'reasonable' to carry it out. I hadn't intented to leave that Council, but as a consequence of my actions I was firstly suspended, and then shortly afterwards had my contract terminated and received (despite me never once asking for a penny) a substantial pay off (because the Council clearly realised that the request wasn't reasonable and that I wasn't 'scared' of standing up to the Director). Now, my point is that you could say that I was being excessively awkward and I should have done as I was asked because I'd have been tackling what certain people thought was a problem. But what about the 800 complainants who had complained about matters the Council had legal powers to do something about ?. How would they have felt had they known that the Council was devoting resources to something it had no legal control over ? (particularly when that was a direct result of the Council's own failings ?). As I say, I totally agree that one attempt should have been made to resolve the issue (as I say had the Director approached me and previous attempts hadn't been made then I would have visited the owners when out on other work visits) but after 3 attempts to me it was reasonable to draw a line. I have absolutely no regrets about the stance I took, even though I then went 6 months without employment, and it amuses me that every boss I've had since that time always says how professional and reasonable I am. But the idea of going through a similar experience at another Council does seriously put me off ever returning to the public sector, because I ended up feeling that my professional abilities and opinions were completely irrelevant, I was merely employed to do as I was told. The point I'm trying to make is that it is very easy for any of us to moan at the Council about an issue that is particular close to our own hearts, but Council officers can never keep everyone happy as the same issues that are close to your heart may/will be seen by other residents as completely irrelevant. |