KCC - prize-winningly rotten

Kent County Council managed to scoop two titles in Private Eye's Rotten Boroughs Awards 2011.

The column, which lists authorities' municipal wrongdoing, named council leader Paul Carter as Mr Toad of the Year and former managing director Katherine Kerswell as Goldenballs of the Year. Councillor Carter's entry read:

"Paul "Petrolhead" Carter announced that he is to take January 2012 off, taking part in a London to Cape Town rally (while still receiving nearly £5,000 allowance for the month). After authorising a monster payoff to Katherine Kerswell and approving the sacking of scores of staff, he then appealed to the survivors to fork out for rally sponsorship. Surprisingly, there were few takers."

Ms Kerswell's entry was in response to her leaving payment from the council. It said:

"Predicting the imminent departure of… blue-sky babbling £197,000-a-year Katherine Kerswell… Eye 1303 told how an announcement was being delayed by squabbling over the wording of her departure statement. KCC's PR-wallahs duly delivered a few days later: "Exceptional job... first-rate public servant... tremendous skills... improved services... next phase... leaving the council... to pursue new interests." Kerswell's barrow, meanwhile, was reportedly groaning under the weight of £450,000 in used fivers."

A spokesman for KCC said:

"Thank you for sending the link and inviting KCC to comment on this – on this occasion we will not be taking you up on this offer."

thisiskent 6th Jan 2012

Paul Carter crows and bleats

It simply beggars belief that Paul Carter should round on the local press and suggest that they are responsible for the falling staff morale at KCC. We will find out in June, if not before, how much Katherine Kerswell was paid leave quietly. What is clear now, and has been for some time, is that her recruitment and departure revealed serious shortcomings at the very top of KCC. Poor staff morale at the Council is more likely to be a result of working for rubbish bosses than simply reading about them.

It's also pretty rich for Paul Carter to criticise the press for not playing a "straight bat" after the stream of misleading and mealy-mouthed press releases that accompanied the confused and confusing departure of the Council's MD.

Paul Carter's request for sponsorship from his staff was quite simply breath-takingly crass.

Kent County Council leader Paul Carter has described 2011 as a "demanding and tough" year for the authority. In a New Year message posted on the Kent County Council website, the Tory council leader said challenges included growing economic and political uncertainty and fears over job security – including his own.

But he said the council had made a lot of progress over the year, including saving £95 million and preparing a budget for 2012 with another £97 million of savings. The cuts include the loss of hundreds of jobs as staffing levels were slashed by 10%. Mr Carter said:

"We are now starting to see a more joined up, leaner organisation emerge and I am very confident that this new approach will support good quality front line service delivery for our residents."

There has also been progress in the authority's children's services department, which was slammed by Ofsted last year. Officials concluded there were "no priority areas for action" at the last inspection. Mr Carter said there were also improvements in school results and the number of apprenticeships in Kent has also risen by over 70%.

He said his New Year resolution was to improve relationships with the local press after a spate of "biased" stories, including reports about the departure of managing director Katherine Kerswell and Mr Carter's month-long trip to South Africa. Staff were furious after they were asked to sponsor the charity trip in the wake of reports of a six-figure redundancy settlement for Ms Kerswell. She was 18 months into a four-year contract. Mr Carter said:

"I know there has been several high-profile issues related to the organisation in the past few weeks; however, I am very concerned that on many occasions the good stories we have to tell are simply falling on deaf ears. My frustration is that, despite the reality, this constant sniping at KCC impacts on morale for our hard-working staff, and if we are not careful the consequence will inevitably be a knock-on effect to frontline service delivery. I would love to see more stories played with a straight bat in 2012, giving credit where credit's due and letting the public actually decide for themselves."

thisiskent 5th Jan 2012

Journalist bites councillor

Once again, Paul Francis hits the nail on the head, this time in a riposte to Paul Carter's New Year's gobshite.

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KCC leader fires salvo at local press for 'biased' reporting: a response

Politicians often think we are out to get them and are working to some kind of hidden agenda. And the word that sometimes gets bandied about is that we are 'biased'. It is a word that KCC leader Paul Carter used when he fired off a New Year salvo at the local media in general just before departing for a month long break to participate in a vintage car rally to South Africa.

In a piece, which for the most part was a look back over the year, he ended with a short section 'looking forward'. It began with a pledge that he wished to "improve our relationship with the local press." This laudable aim was then rather undermined by a series of comments that together amounted to an attack on those that he wished to foster improved relationships with.

The article claimed that 'some stories have been particularly biased against KCC' and although he stopped short of specifying which ones, it is pretty clear that he was referring to the controversy surrounding the departure of managing director Katherine Kerswell.

Acknowledging that there had been 'several high profile issues' in the last few weeks, he claimed that the media's 'constant sniping at KCC 'impacts on morale for our hard-working staff' and 'the consequence will inevitably be a knock-on effect to frontline service delivery.'

If this was intended to be the start of his desire to improve relationships with the media, it was not only misjudged but perverse. Perhaps the most risible comment was his appeal to the media to play stories with a 'straight bat' and give 'credit where credit's due' - and to let the public 'actually decide for themselves'.

This from an organisation that has over the years accrued a reputation for evasiveness and PR spin that might make even Peter Mandleson blush.

Unfortunately for KCC, its own unwillingness to play with a straight bat has contributed to a sense of distrust - which was only made worse by the debacle over departure of managing director Katherine Kerswell. KCC moved heaven and earth to persuade everyone, including its own staff, that nothing was going on when it was common knowledge that discussions were already underway about scrapping her £197,000 post.

Its initial statement responding to media queries was a classic piece of Orwellian double-speak, a contrivance of misinformation that - while strictly accurate -  was as far removed from 'playing with a straight bat' as could be imagined. Equally ludicrous was the claim that our 'constant sniping' was threatening front line services by damaging morale among staff.

Does KCC, which never lets us forget that it is one of the biggest authorities in the country and the county's largest employer, expect us not to report job losses and the potential consequences for residents because of the squeeze on public spending - not to mention huge pay-offs for directors on six-figure salaries?   

Nothing has damaged morale at County Hall more than the lamentable way it dealt with events leading up to the decision to scrap Katherine Kerswell's role. The evidence came in some of the scathing comments posted by staff on its own Intranet site about her departure and reported pay-off, showing that many felt duped by KCC, their own employer.

Uncomfortable though it can be for politicians, our job is to hold them to account for their actions and decisions and ask the questions that the public - as taxpayers - would want answered. It is not to suppress information although you get the sense that KCC sometimes thinks it should be. It is true we are often sceptical - not biased - and if KCC wonders why we are, it really does have its head in the sand far deeper than even we imagine.

Relations between politicians and journalists can often be uneasy ones, characterised by mutual suspicion, a lack of trust and, just occasionally, a touch of paranoia.

Paul on Politics, by political editor Paul Francis Tuesday, January 3 2012

Why KCC will have to come clean over Kerswell

Not for the first time, Kent County Council has shown that when it comes to transparency, its view of what the public has a right to know depends rather on what the circumstances are. It will not, we are told, be disclosing the details of the severance package it has agreed with its departing managing director Katherine Kerswell because it is bound by a confidentiality agreement. Ah, the good old confidentiality clause.

Perhaps with all the frenzy over trying to come to an agreement with Mrs Kerswell, the authority overlooked its new obligations to publish such information under the transparency regime that, to his credit, the communities secretary Eric Pickles has insisted all councils must follow.

Specifically, KCC appears to have not given much thought to a change in the Audit and Account Regulations 2009 that ensures the public is entitled to much more detailed information about the remuneration of senior council staff. This places a requirement on councils to disclose how much senior employees have earned in salary, fees and allowances, bonuses and

"the total amount of any compensation for loss of employment paid to or receivable by the person and any other payments made to or receivable by the person in connection with the termination of their employment by the relevant body."

In other words, everything about the pay and perks, as well as pension value, of senior staff for the financial year - including their names if they are earning more than £150,000.

So KCC will have to detail the sums involved in scrapping the group managing director's role when it next publishes its full accounts - probably around June. This does, of course, give the council the advantage of hoping that enough time will have passed for everyone to have forgotten about it but I suspect that may be a vain hope.

So, why doesn't KCC grasp the nettle instead of hiding behind this fig leaf? One of the reasons is that it has form when it comes to eye-watering pay-offs to departing staff, most notably when it agreed to pay former chief executive Peter Gilroy £200,000 on the day he left the authority as part of the package agreed when his contract was extended by a year.

So, it undoubtedly wants to avoid a further clutch of embarrassing headlines.

Its own avowed approach to transparency is - and I quote from the county council leader Paul Carter - is that 

"it is enormously important that residents of the county who pay substantial taxes know where their money goes. We have no problems with that at all."

Could there be a more compelling case for disclosure of how taxpayers' money is being spent? KCC is forever telling us how much its controversial re-structuring has saved the taxpayer. And its report proposing the deletion of the post of managing director emphasises how much it will save by not paying her salary - £265,000 a year.

If it can be so transparent on these matters, we are surely entitled to know the other side of the coin.

Paul Francis kentonline 13th Dec 2011

KCC staff are furious

Disgruntled county council staff have given vent to their anger over a reported six-figure payoff being handed to the authority's managing director in an extraordinary series of comments criticising the way it has been handled. And they have also taken aim at the county council leader over his decision to be away from his desk throughout January to take part in a vintage car rally in South Africa.

The comments – leaked to the KM Group – were posted by staff on the council's own intranet under an initiative known as 'Talk To The Top', where senior managers respond to questions from employees. Dozens took the chance to express their dismay at events surrounding the abrupt departure of managing director Katherine Kerswell.

County councillors voted to scrap the post of managing director yesterday amid a furious political row. Conservative leader Paul Carter was accused of acting like a dictator by the opposition parties. But recent events triggered a hostile response from many staff, although a number were subsequently deleted by senior managers.

Comments posted by staff included:

• "Surely if an employee chooses to leave then they should forfeit any golden handshake? Any other member of staff who left for their own reasons would not be entitled to this."
• "Why did KCC elect to be less than transparent over Katherine Kerswell leaving? Several weeks ago, KCC claimed it was rumours and lies... and here we are today with Paul Carter declaring she is going!"
• "Why on earth would KCC lie to its own staff about Katherine Kerswell leaving? Two weeks ago, we were told rumours in the paper about her leaving were false only to find out they were true. Staff are losing their jobs right now – the money could have saved several jobs! How can we be expected to work through tough times when we are being... clowned around by our own employers? Staff should be more important and told the truth at all times."
• "Isn't it about time staff were treated with some dignity and respect and not treated to the media fodder that usually gets spun our way?"
• "I'm sure many employees would like to work for 16 months then decide to pursue new interests and be given a giant helping hand to do this with nearly half a million pounds. It is time KCC employees stood up and had their concerns listened to."
• "For most of us living on the breadline, six-figure send-offs is soul destroying – more so because it is the little people who, to coin a Star Trek phrase, 'make it so'."

There was also open criticism of KCC leader Paul Carter over his request to staff for sponsorship to support his charity vintage car rally in January, which will see him away from County Hall and in South Africa for most of the month:

• "Sorry Paul, charity begins at home – perhaps instead of going on a jolly you can go on a conflict resolution course instead."
• "It just beggars belief that so much money can be chucked around like confetti and those of us struggling to make ends meet are then asked to waste what little we have on jollies!"
• "Massively insensitive – I am totally lost for words. I feel sick."

Responding on the forum, Mr Carter said:

"I can understand and sympathise that feelings are running high regarding job losses. However, the email was aimed to try and help four very good charities in the hope we can raise substantial sums from the generosity of staff, friends and business colleagues. In the first few hours we have already raised over £100 for these good causes, let's keep the momentum going."

kentonline 16th Dec 2011

Kerswell out of it

Cllr Carter will wear a toga of Imperial purple on all public engagements, and feast on roast peacocks daily. We, on the other hand, will be fed to the lions. There will be no circuses. There will be no bread. Does anyone remember voting for this?

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Kent County Council have finally decided that Katherine Kerswell is not in fact managing director. This is the latest instalment in a story that has been running since November 16th, when the rumours first emerged that Katherine would be leaving her post for reasons for reasons unknown.

At the time she was 16 months in to her four-year contract, and appeared to have ruffled the feathers of the Conservative backbenchers with her program of change and improvement within the Council. Initially there was confusion as to whether she had actually left or not. Even when Kent County Council put out a statement that Katherine "is and remains" managing director, some confusion remained given that there was no sign of Katherine at the KCC offices.

There was activity behind the scenes, there were lawyers, there were rumours. However, throughout the exercise there was uncertainty and a lack of transparency, and this remains the case. On November 28th KCC held a meeting that was behind closed doors and did not have a published agenda. This is probably when they decided what to do about Catherine. It seems that they decided to pay her a lot of money to go away - £450,000.

This begs a number of questions. Firstly, did she resign or what she made redundant? Secondly, why is this very expensive exercise in failed recruitment shrouded in secrecy? The most worrying question, in my opinion, is what happens next.

The senior officer grades at KCC have just been cut and reorganised by Katherine, and a number of posts are being filled by interim managers. It seems reasonable to guess that one of the reasons that contributed to Katherine's departure is a clash of styles between the members and the officers.

Paul Carter: bringing out the Tourettes in people since 2005

Councillor Paul Carter seems to be suggesting that KCC doesn't actually need a managing director or Chief Executive, and that he will simply sweep up those functions within his own existing role as Leader.

"I and my cabinet have made the decision that to deliver further efficiencies and a more streamlined organisation we can operate very successfully without a managing director." He said local government now had cabinets working with the leader as the executive and so no longer needed a chief executive or managing director."

It seems to me that this is a spectacularly bad time to combine roles of leader and Chief Executive. Even if Paul Carter was a supremely talented human being, it would be a lot to ask of him. As it is, the MD's salary of £200k represents a saving of 0.01% of Kent's £2 billion budget, while the cost to KCC of doing without a managing director has yet to be calculated.

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Kent County Council is under further pressure over the news that its managing director is to quit and is reported to be walking away with a six-figure payoff.

Unison said reports that Katherine Kerswell is in line for a settlement worth £450,000 were a smack in the face for its staff and demoralising at a time when hundreds of lower paid staff had lost their jobs at County Hall.

KCC finally confirmed that Katherine Kerswell will leave this month after weeks denying that it had any plans to axe her post - despite mounting rumour and speculation. Mrs Kerswell, who has not been at her desk for the best part of a month, is only 16 months into a four-year contract.

Unison branch secretary David Lloyd said:

"It is demoralising for our members to see this at a time when they are struggling to save their own jobs and would never get anywhere near this kind of payout even if they had worked for 20 years or more. It really is a smack in the face."

Opposition parties said it was disgraceful that taxpayers were being kept in the dark over how much she will walk away with. They also raised questions about why she was receiving any payout if she was resigning.

KCC says it has signed a confidential agreement, meaning it cannot say what the terms of the settlement are. However, some details will have to be published next year when the authority publishes its annual accounts as part of new government transparency regulations.

Labour opposition leader Cllr Gordon Cowan said:

"This is public money and after all, it will be taxpayers’ who fund this. KCC should be upfront and say exactly how much she is getting. It will have to come out at some point but they should say so immediately."

Liberal Democrat spokesman Cllr Tim Prater echoed:

"From the statement the council has put out, it reads like she has resigned. If she did, why is she being paid off at all? That is the question every taxpayer in Kent deserves an answer to."

Mrs Kerswell joined the county council in March 2010 from Northamptonshire county council following the departure of former chief executive Peter Gilroy. A statement released by KCC said:

"Katherine Kerswell has done an exceptional job at Kent reshaping our approach to service delivery and recasting our overall management arrangements. She is a first-rate public servant with tremendous skills at making large organisations work well. Her management direction has helped produce very significant savings to the council and confirmed Kent’s position as a leading authority."

kentonline 12th Dec 2011 Paul Francis

KCC pay and perks

Pay and perks go online in council's "revolution"

KCC opens it books to the public

Details of how millions of pounds of tax payers' money is spent - including the pay and perks of senior officers - are to go online as part of what is being hailed as a transparency revolution at County Hall. Kent County Council is to embark on a radical programme of opening its books to public inspection under a series of measures it believes will improve trust and understanding among residents.

Many of the proposals are in line with government moves to compel councils to be much more open about how they spend public money. County councillors backed the initiative at a meeting of KCC's Conservative cabinet on Monday.

Under its Transparency Programme, the council, which spends more than £2bn each year, is to publish a monthly list of all transactions of more than £500. And in a major departure, the council is to disclose the details of the pay and perks of all its top officers, along with any hospitality they have received and their declarations of interest. The authority has previously refused to identify the specific remuneration of its most senior officers but was forced to do so this year under new government audit regulations.

The reforms and moves to much greater openness about spending are being led by KCC's new group managing director Katherine Kerswell. In a cabinet report the council says:

"KCC views transparency as a fundamental principle of how we do business. Staff throughout KCC must understand that the public has a right to know how tax payers' money is spent and how effectively it is used. [It will be] a major opportunity for KCC to further improve our relationship with Kent residents through a more informed conversation."

Cllr Roger Gough (Con) KCC cabinet member for corporate services, said:

"It is going to go much further than we have in the past and we hope it will mean a much more direct relationship with the citizen and encourage them to get involved in what we do."

He acknowledged the council would need to consider carefully how it presented some of the details.

"People may struggle to understand if we publish just raw data and there may be cases where we have to give context."

Cllr Trudy Dean, opposition Liberal Democrat leader, said:

"I am very encouraged by this. I hope it reflects a change in KCC's mindset."

HB Gazette 16th September 2010 by Paul Francis, Political Editor, pfrancis@thekmgroup.co.uk