‘Unable’ to manage relationship with trades unionsĬfGS warned that Birmingham is “unable” to manage relationships with trades unions, partly because of a lack of “formal dialogue”. Some members and officers are “circumventing” senior officers “in a way that acts in direct defiance of the constitution”. This has contributed to “negative” relationships between officers and members, with members too focused on operational matters at the expense of strategic thinking.ĬfGS warned this “creates an oppressive environment for many senior officers, who find that their freedom to carry out their operational duties is circumscribed by heavy member direction and oversight”. “When bad news is escalated, its urgency is often diluted, and downplayed (by both members and officers), with the focus being to reassure the wider organisation (and external stakeholders) than to take clear actions to mitigate problems,” the review said. ‘Bad news diluted and downplayed’ĬfGS criticised information management within the council where a “defensive” culture discouraged people from passing on bad news. The review said some improvements are being made, but “need to go further” and warned “general weaknesses in the council’s culture around improvement” could hinder its progress. Despite pockets of team work CfGS said: “As a norm, there is not a ‘whole council’ approach to identify priorities for the authority, to manage expenditure, to understand and manage risk, and to ensure that the right people are involved in decision-making and oversight, in the right way and at the right time This has led to a disjointed approach where the council “does not function as one”. The report also said “difficult relationships between the council and trades unions” and “tensions in member-officer relationships” contributed to the issues.ĬfGS said: “The multifaceted nature of the causes, and symptoms, of Birmingham’s corporate governance failures make the council’s situation unique – this distinctiveness will demand a unique solution on governance stabilisation and improvement.” “The council’s size, the failure to effectively implement Oracle, its lack of awareness of its equal pay liabilities, and its hosting of the Commonwealth Games are all relevant considerations – but no specific one of these present a root cause of failure,” the report said. However CfGS said austerity was not the sole cause of Birmingham’s problems. The review concluded the financial difficulties were not “caused by any single issue” and that: “The impact of more than a decade of funding cuts has had substantial effects on the council’s ability to adapt to new needs and realities.” The government subsequently appointed commissioners. Separately, problems that arose during the implementation of a new IT system are expected to cost £100m. In September the council issued a section 114 notice as the scale of its equal pay liability emerged.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |