Jan 18: Councillors and Swedish models - no, not that kind
What’s the
difference between a chief executive and a group managing director?
In the case of Kent County Council, it could be a small matter of
some £55,000.
That’s the difference in salary on offer to
the person who succeeds Peter Gilroy as KCC chief executive - or
rather as group managing director. The successful candidate will
earn a basic salary of £185,000 compared to the £240,000 earned by
Mr Gilroy.
See the advert here
The council has tried to dress up this change
in job title to reflect what the recruitment advert describes as
subtle differences between the current role and the new post.
Read our story here>>
Subtle they certainly are. Leafing through the
application pack, it’s hard to discern any differences in
responsibility of any real substance.
What this is all about, of course, is the
debate and demand for reductions in “fat cat” public sector pay
packages. KCC might have been better off being upfront about this
rather than trying to suggest the new job is somehow nothing like
the old one.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THERE’S a bit
of a rumpus over a planned trip by Conservative county councillors
and education officials to Sweden next month to see what are known
as “free schools”.
According to Cllr Sarah
Hohler, the Conservative cabinet member for children’s
services, the proposal for a trip was her leader’s, Paul
Carter.
Behind it is a desire to see how such schools,
which are set up by profit-making private companies and are state
funded, work in practice.
Interestingly, they are not yet part of
official Government policy and as Cllr Trudy Dean noted on learning
of the trip, if it is all about seeing how a policy being advocated
by the Conservatives, perhaps the Conservatives ought to meet the
costs.
Political row over councillors trip to Swedish
schools>>>
Even one Conservative backbencher had the
temerity to question the idea but we fear Cllr Ken Pugh’s plain
speaking might earn him a summons to the leader’s office and a rap
on the knuckles.
As one teacher representative on the
authority’s children’s services scrutiny committee pointed out,
there is already a lot of evidence and literature out there already
about the idea of free schools that Sweden has pioneered.
Read about
how the Swedish model works here>>>
KCC has some form in this area of foreign
jaunts, sorry fact-finding visits, as has been well documented.
Back in 2005, it took 100
headteachers across to America for a well-publicised “study tour”
of schools in four states. More recently, back in 2008, there was a
trip to Australia for a group of officials and heads.
Curiously, the former education director
Graham Badman travelled to Sweden to meet with
representatives of one company involved in free schools in 2008.
Surely he must have reported back on his findings?
Perhaps someone on the council might just ask for it.
Sunday, January 17 2010