New Sandwell council leader Eling has nominated his cabinet, the inner circle of Labour councillors who will run Sandwell. Its composition could provide some indication of the likelihood of Eling effecting a clean up among Labour councillors and carrying out his boast “to run this council from now on with honesty, openness and transparency as three guiding principles.” Let no one hold their breath.
Eling’s cabinet is a mixture of the old and the new and inexperienced. None seem likely to offer any challenge to their leader. Neither Cllr. Richard Marshall nor Cllr. Kerrie Carmichael have any previous experience as chair or vice-chair of any council committee. The latter holds no surgeries in school holidays which suggests some limit to commitment. He has been a councillor for only two years, she for four.
At the other extreme, Cllr. Anne Shackleton, put out to grass from the Sandwell cabinet five years ago has been revived and dusted off. She was responsible for Sandwell’s Shackleton Shops, a modern version of Potemkin villages. Potemkin concealed Russian rural devastation and kept his short sighted empress, Catherine the Great, happy by hiding reality behind cardboard cut outs of smiling peasants and fat livestock which she took to be real. Under Shackleton, empty shops in Sandwell had their fronts plastered with pictures of various shop interiors to give an illusion of occupancy. “Honesty, openness and transparency”?
Cllr. Preet Gill brings to the table her experience as vice chair of the Children’s Services Scrutiny Board. Scrutiny boards are there to monitor performance and Children’s Services in Sandwell have consistently been judged inadequate.
However, the appointment which appears the oddest is that of Cllr. Simon Hackett as cabinet member for Children’s services. First it is clear that Children’s services, despite the self-serving protests of Unison officials, will be taken out of council control because of its consistent inadequacy and failure to serve the needs of vulnerable children. There is consequently no need for this cabinet post at all and the public expense of its maintenance. Secondly, Cllr. Hackett’s response that the last Ofsted report, which judged the service inadequate, was wrong, though bold hardly indicated that he has reforming zeal or a determination to confront reality and address problems. Nor does his blatant denial of the facts found by that Ofsted inspection indicate “Honesty, openness and transparency”
Cllr Eling is said to lament that legal proceedings have delayed Cllr Maboob Hussain’s appearance before a disciplinary standards hearing. What is Cllr. Hackett’s status in view of the allegations made against him? Does he, as an assistant researcher to Tom Watson MP, enjoy any special privileges? “Honesty, openness and transparency”.
Surely even Cllr Eling can’t trot out his stock excuse “It’s the cuts” if there is not “honesty, openness and transparency” in the conduct of Sandwell council.