More senior employees at Sandwell council have left or are on their way out.
Despite offering really generous pay packets and threadbare claims to be a socialist paradise in which workers are regarded and cherished, the Labour run authority has problems recruiting and retaining managers.
A difficulty is the culture at Sandwell Council house. As a result of Labour’s long dominance of the council, (71 out of 72 current councillors are Labour), its officer employees have grown accustomed to boot lick and fawn before even the most junior of councillors. The Wragge report into questionable dealings at the council, politely describes “officers” as being “overly compliant with the will of elected members”.
After that report and the promise of new council leader Eling to “drain the swamp”, to cleanse his own council of sleaze and corruption, matters might have improved. Instead, working conditions have worsened and for two reasons.
First, Chief Executive Britton is so embattled defending his own job that he has little time to offer support to other employees. In Cllr. Hussain’s recent court squabble with the council, Britton told the judge he believed he would be sacked as Chief Executive if an opponent of Cllr. Eling were elected council leader in 2016.
Britton must have been perspiring heavily when that election, at first, ended in a stalemate. We understand he sought counselling, at the time, from a regional officer of the Labour party.
There was a bit of fixing (some councillors were disqualified from voting because they were in arrears with their Labour party subs), and, allegedly, a bit of bullying of councillors (do you want to keep your post of special responsibility and the extra cash?) and a bit of bribery, (do you want a post of special responsibility and extra cash?).
When Eling was finally elected leader, Britton must have breathed 160,000+ sighs of relief (one for each pound of his yearly salary).
A second reason is the vicious in-fighting which is taking place among Sandwell Labour councillors. Schooled to perform on command, it is difficult for officers to respond to two whistles summoning them in opposite directions.
Gone then is Phil Hardy, the pleasant and efficient Electoral Services Manager. Going at Xmass is Dave Haywood the competent and charismatic Governance Services Manager whose intelligence and style could not be in greater contrast to the lumbering morbidity of Jan Britton. But, perhaps, most interesting is the now talked of projected departure of Nick Bubalo, Director of Regeneration and Economy.
We understand that Mr. Bubalo has been ill for some time but wonder whether discussions for his future departure are connected with the forthcoming appearance of Cllr. Mahboob Hussain before a Sandwell Council Standards Committee. It might be convenient, for some, if Mr Bubalo were unavailable to give evidence and a severance package with a confidentiality clause could achieve that.
Mr Bubalo was criticised in the Wragge report for failing to support a more junior officer and “take adequate measures to stop the misbehaviour of Cllr. Hussain” He was head of the directorate in which Azeem Hafeez worked. Azeem Hafeez is Cllr Mahboob Hussain’s son and bought some of the land, subject to the Wragge enquiry. Bubalo knew Hafeez worked in his department but Wragge found “surprisingly” “Bubalo reported he had never met or spoken to him”.
Also, Mr. Bubalo was a link in the e-mail chain, showing an involvement of Cllr. Eling in the projected sale of the public lavatories, investigated by Wragge.
Of the senior officers interviewed in the course of the Wragge enquiry, Mr. Bubalo is one of the few survivors remaining in Sandwell Council’s employment. Gone are Dave Willetts, Head of Property Services, Adrian Scarrott, senior manager in Housing and Neeraj Sharma, Director of Governance and Monitoring Officer.
Nevertheless Cllr. Hussain’s appearance before Standards promises many revelations and not a few fireworks, if and when it takes place.
“When” because he is currently seeking to appeal to the Court of Appeal to block action against him.
“If” because there is a suggestion that Hussain may be Rowleyised. No action was taken against Derek Rowley regarding the sale of some portacabins, which had belonged to Sandwell council, partly on the basis that Rowley is now an ex-councillor.
Many must hope that Hussain will retire gracefully and a deal can be cut that proceedings against him are discontinued. This is the type of shabby pact which commends itself to some of Sandwell’s socialists; truth is buried, dirt brushed over, a misleading headstone erected by Sandwell council’s propaganda department, the public conned and bingo it’s council election time again.
Two difficulties; a dead man won’t stop walking and the electorate is getting wise to Sandwell socialist sleaze.