Chief executive and political leader accept responsibility for council failures (From Wirral Globe)
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Chief executive and political leader accept responsibility for council failures
5:20pm Wednesday 21st September 2011 in News By Leigh Marles
Chief Executive Jim Wilkie
WIRRAL Council's chief executive and its political leader have accepted full reponsibility for a devastating assessment of the authority's failures in corporate governance.
A report by independent consultant Anna Klonowski says the town hall is in the grip of a corrosive and inward-looking culture in which the needs of residents and service-users are submerged.
Jim Wilkie, chief executive, said: “These report findings represent the most significant challenge this council faces.
"As chief executive of Wirral Council I would like to make it very clear that I fully accept Anna Klonowski’s findings into the failings within the Corporate Governance of this authority and would like to apologise to anyone who has been affected on behalf of the council.
“We will be taking whatever action is necessary to address the challenge before us.
"We will implement the recommendations made within this report and will continue to drive forward the improvements to procedures and policies that have been put in place already.
“I would like to put on record my personal pledge that I take responsibility for ensuring the radical improvements needed in Corporate Governance are made and that we continue to strive to deliver excellent services that are responsive to the needs of our local people and our communities.”
Council leader Steve Foulkes, who has cancelled a planned visit to China this weekend in order to deal with the crisis, said: "We stand accused of being insular and inward looking and having a culture based on what we have always done, rather on what we should be doing.
"This is a highly-critical report, but I welcome it because it is the ultimate wake up call which gives all of us the chance to change.
"This council has been through a range of administrations...and problems have continued thoughout all of them.
"This is an issue that clearly transcends party politics and I will be seeking to discuss it with both the other party leaders.
"As leader, along with my senior management team, I fully accept that I have not always seen what I should have seen, and I have not challenged officers as rigorously as I should have.
"From today that changes. This now takes total priority."
Councillor Foulkes said s specific cabinet committee is to be set up - in line with the report's recommendations - tasked with "driving forward the changes that need to be made in the way we manage the council and in the culture of those who work here."
External advisers will be brought in to support this committee along with councillors and officers from other authorities to share knowledge in a peer review.
The senior management team and its internal audit group will be stregthened and Ms Klonowski will be invited to hold a seminar for all council members.
The recommendations and the report itself will be discussed at tomorrow's meeting of the cabinet
Comments(40)
ArdalMcFardle
says...
4:37pm Wed 21 Sep 11
http://www.community
care.co.uk/Articles/
13/09/2011/117431/wh
istleblower-says-cou
ncil-ordered-care-pa
ckages-delay.htm
Did that get investigated properly ? Nope, just Howard Cooper batoning down the hatches with ': "We strongly dispute the allegation that care packages have been delayed." - Evidence for this statement ? None. You should ALL resign if you had any integrity
Cheesy Peas
says...
4:50pm Wed 21 Sep 11
Few empty desks in Brighton Street tomorrow and Westminster House tomorrow, surely.
Spiffy
says...
6:28pm Wed 21 Sep 11
...
"I take responsibility for ensuring the radical improvements needed in Corporate Governance are made"
...
Spot the difference...linguis
tics, folks.
TheLooseCannon
says...
6:47pm Wed 21 Sep 11
d problems have continued thoughout all of them. "
.
If I may be permitted to say so, Mr Foulkes, that ridiculous statement resembles spherical objects!
.
"a range of administrations"? Your party has been in control at Wirral for 24 of the past 25 years. You personally have been a part of that administration for at least 21 years.
.
Methinks you ARE the problem, Mr Foulkes!
.
Security words fund-them!! When are you going to REfund the half a million pounds you allowed DASS to steal from the most vulnerable people on the Wirral?
statictom
says...
7:18pm Wed 21 Sep 11
Maybe Mr Foulkes needs to have a hearing test as he seems unable to hear anything that has gone on. As the above post states he has been in the administration for at least 21 yrs now - no wonder nothing seems to have changed for the better.
Jayo
says...
8:37pm Wed 21 Sep 11
*
This report says you and Wilkie are not fit to run a bath let alone Wirral council.
You must both so some real contrition and resign immediately.
TheLooseCannon
says...
9:18pm Wed 21 Sep 11
.
Cllr Simon Mountney was the ONLY councillor of any party who worked - even fought at times - to bring this into the public domain.
I was present at a succession of ARMC meetings where he called for external inquiries and police inquiries, but was thwarted at every turn by the Labour/LibDem members of the committe.
.
It was the leader of the Tories who ordered this inquiry by Anna Klonowski as soon as he was in a position to do so.
.
If that's what you call "sweeping it under the carpet" then what the h*ll do you call what the previous administration did?
Wirral_leaks
says...
9:19pm Wed 21 Sep 11
MX
says...
9:42pm Wed 21 Sep 11
I was reading todays Guardian (its jobs day) and there was an article by Hadley Freeman entitled: "Autumn is turning into the season for apologies.Just dont expect anyone to actually use the word "sorry"".
She described high profile figures making apologies "believe that "apology" is Latin for " a get-out-of-jail-free
-card that will let me keep my job".
Security -word: care-film.
Shouldn't it just!
rover600
says...
10:18pm Wed 21 Sep 11
?????????????? What the hell are these two on about and why have they both not resigned for overseeing this disgraceful debacle??
From today?? From the time this was all originaly exposed was the time for changes.
The only thing you pair should be doing from today is THE RIGHT THING & that is....STEP DOWN NOW!!!
johnbrace
says...
12:44pm Thu 22 Sep 11
I think the person you are referring to is called Simon Holbrook not Simon Holbrooke. His surname doesn't have an e in it.
I may be wrong though.
statictom
says...
3:59pm Thu 22 Sep 11
bigfoot
says...
7:28pm Thu 22 Sep 11
MX
says...
11:23pm Thu 22 Sep 11
montague1
says...
7:58pm Fri 23 Sep 11
he states this report is a "WAKE
UP CALL",
explains much! He has been asleep then, all this time!.
Whilst he slumbered when on Duty, " (surely a sackable offence in itself), the customers using services of Wirral
I am sure have had many sleepless nights, sick with worry about when and by how much their services would be cut.
Not only cut,but, delays to putting Services in, as alleged in an article in Community Care Magazine, 13th September 2011, denied of course, by the interim Director of DASS Howard Cooper! Perhaps he was asleep too!
Sleeping beauties they are not!
A whole new take on Nero having fiddled while Rome burned!
antisthenes
says...
12:15pm Sat 24 Sep 11
And the result..those who stand condemned rather than stand aside have pledged to learn lessons from this debacle and to reform Council culture and conduct.
I am reminded of the the words of the political philosopher Edmund Burke...
''Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing”
Except that is that it has cost the citizens of Wirral £250k to expose their hypocrisy.
These people are steeped in a culture of self interest and mutual protectionism they therfore have neither the capacity or courage to change.
margoleadbetter
says...
5:58pm Sat 24 Sep 11
MX
says...
6:06pm Sat 24 Sep 11
Isn't it funny that not long ago Frank Field was calling for the resignation of Howard Cooper and Steve Maddox over exam results?.
But on this ? - not a peep!.
McVey,McGovern,Field
,Eagle - anything to say?
montague1
says...
6:50am Sun 25 Sep 11
Have THEY not felt the earth move under them whilst this volcanic eruption was building?.
Have their Members, ( front line staff in particular ), not been telling them what has been going on ???, even when " managers " have been denying
all!!.
Have they too been enjoying the " BIG SLEEP", waiting for the Wake UP CALL"
along with Foulkes and his cronies ??.
Very many Members suspect the Unions of " Buddying up " with the "MOB" as they too have been exremely noticeable by their silence!
Watch out for your membership comrades !.
Wirral_leaks
says...
11:44am Sun 25 Sep 11
It’s common knowledge that the Unions on the Wirral and in particular Unison are about as much use as a chocolate tea cosy. Stuck in the past, and home to lazy, loud mouthed, oak-headed, bloated, puce faced oafs spouting off their own particular brand of kindergarten communism, yet all the while happy to collude with management for an easy life and crucially, maintaining the ambiance at the local golf club. And ALL at the expense of their members interests.
And of course Council management know full well that they have most reps well and truly in their pockets. In short many of the Union reps are as immoral and self serving as the careerist managers who rule the roost in Departments like DASS , they too think they are untouchable and are without doubt complicit for staying silent during this debacle.All too happy to brush genuine whistle blowing concerns under the carpet. Instead of saying “we will thoroughly investigate your concerns” they instead choose to warn off employees, focusing on the dangers and possible consequences of speaking out and thereby reinforcing the culture of bullying within WBC. They are an utter disgrace and the reality is you’d be better served being represented by a glove puppet.
I bet Mr Morton had precious little support from the Unions.
PaulCa
says...
1:45pm Sun 25 Sep 11
The "complicit union" aspect of the disease is well-entrenched and is not responding to medication - hasn't done for years - and won't now. The patient, Wirral Council is now on self-inflicted life support.
I had to go to UNITE, where I was supported, mainly because I personally knew some of the full-time officers. But even that wasn't enough to rescue my job. I was offered a move to a lower-paid position, but resigned, not wanting to continue with the Council and have my whole life blighted and my hard-won principles threatened by association.
Many senior managers and a welter of ambitious middle managers, fighting to take their place one day, regard corruption and the selling of your soul as a price worth paying in order to "get on" and boost their fraudulent salaries.
That's the reason why a wholesale clear out is needed NOW. It's very disappointing that Anna Klonowski didn't make this extremely clear. The need to dump the so-called 'top' people is extremely pressing. We've been told in the past we need to pay fat salaries to attract them! This couldn't look any more hollow and insulting as it does here on Wirral today.
In answer to MX, many local MPs are busy in Liverpool, networking and seeking out photo opportunities (between mouthfuls of the best wines, sushi and creative canapes). It's hungry work representing the huddled masses.
MX
says...
5:23pm Sun 25 Sep 11
http://democracy.wir
ral.gov.uk/mgConvert
2PDF.aspx?ID=10784
" Are you on some kind of crusade?"
" You do realise you're making yourself unemployable"
" You need to accept you work with a bunch of b*******s".
Can somebody tell me how did it get to this?
Security -word: fast-jump
PrivateEye1
says...
6:15pm Sun 25 Sep 11
MX
says...
8:25pm Sun 25 Sep 11
forevergreen
says...
8:29pm Sun 25 Sep 11
The new chief executive and our new/old leader of the council Steve Foulkes along with the previous leader Jeff Green were all aware of this pending situation.
Did any of them have the guts to disclose it in the public domain?.
NO.
Then the independent report was published.
Now suddenly they all say "We are determined to put this wrong right".
What hypocrites, they are only interested in the power and taking expensive trips abroad on us wirral ratepayers.
The CX also says "I will personally ensure the recommendations in the report presented by Anna Klonowski are implemented".
Is this going to be implemented by the current leader of the council along with his CX and chief officers ?
These are the same people who are damned with being insular, secretive and having a corrisive impact on all wirral people.
"What a sham"
On another point I am glad to hear the parks and gardens contract has been kept in house by the council, this was partially due to the comments made in a report by the Audit Commission which stated "the letting of the highways contract 2009 has not been proven to be best value for wirral ratepayers.
The Leader Steve Foulkes let this contract go out to private contractors .
Yet another error of judgement along with his CX and Chief Officers (in particular David Green).
Why the sudden change of mind?
rover600
says...
9:40pm Sun 25 Sep 11
bickyboy
says...
11:21pm Sun 25 Sep 11
Direct from the manual of political arras-covering comes this guidance: "When in doubt, apologise. Be humble. Show your human side, your frailty, your contrition and thus resonate with the common people. **** their balloon before it climbs so high that the string is out of your reach".
That way the common people will be happy to have a rant on forums like this one then forget about you, and you can get on with feathering your nest once the dust has cleared.
People..dont forget, come election time. We are not lions; we are donkeys (respectable animals that work hard for a living) led by fleas (parasites).
montague1
says...
8:56am Mon 26 Sep 11
The most vulnerable, the very young, and our older citizens who are in desparate need of the services provided by Social Services need those
of us more able to ensure they are heard and more importantly, listened to!
It is up to the rest of us, NOT JUST TO HAVE A RANT, but to be relentless in reminding everyone just what pain this current complete lack of leadership
has caused the most vulnerable, and the monumental financial cost to them and all of the ratepayers of Wirral.
WirralAl
says...
10:57am Mon 26 Sep 11
How to help the people who have suffered ?
How not to resign?
Who else they can blame?
Why Steve Folkes has cancelled his holiday?
Will the electorate remember this come election time?
How much did it cost us in redundencies?
How much extra can we get paid to set up another committee?
How much will our pension be if we resign?
Who are these dam people who find out that the council leadership are only in it for what they can get?
How can Foulkes get his picture in the paper this week and try to look like its nothing to do with him?
Why did these poeple vote for us? (Bloody fools)
What does "responsible" mean?
No body can sack us anyway! We are elected so let them moan a bit. Who cares? Those idiots will all forget this by the next election and what choice do they have!
Look fellas! We still get our pension no matter what mess/ suffering we cause others. Lets ride the storm and we will all be ok!
At least one of them has admitted to some of the errors.
montague1
says...
2:09pm Mon 26 Sep 11
Happy as can be, all good friends,
and jolly good company"!!.
A new anthem for the "one size fits all"
political parties, as they romp through their season of conferences. For that, read: " fine wining and dining" !!.
AND; the unlucky losers this week ARE;
DAH DAH, Liverpool!!!. Having to host not only all those from far flung parts,
but undoubtdedly some of Wirral's FINEST!
No sign so far of any of THEM having fallen on their golf clubs yet?. Whoops,
meant "SWORDS", but I suppose I might as well have said Polo sticks, since sadly the days of chivalry so far as THEY are ALL concerned have long since gone.
hugo2008
says...
9:10pm Mon 26 Sep 11
your posting on this stream sees to have lost its meaing it would appear that one of my postings has evaported, perhaps I ruffled some important feathers, who knows.
johnbrace says...
12:44pm Thu 22 Sep 11
@hugo2008
I think the person you are referring to is called Simon Holbrook not Simon Holbrooke. His surname doesn't have an e in it.
I may be wrong though.
ArdalMcFardle
says...
2:25pm Tue 27 Sep 11
PaulCa
says...
4:03pm Tue 27 Sep 11
I hope the front page of the Daily Mail might just be waiting in the wings as this scandal rolls on.
The crooks involved would prefer to paint this as 'a little local difficulty' and want to keep out prying eyes. Anna Klonowski herself seems to have blamed "systems" in report No. 1 - glossing over the fact that senior officers design and implement these systems, and councillors are deeply involved in overseeing and scrutinising them.
The dysfunction within Wirral is down to the planned and calculated actions of remunerated officers and councillors, people who endorsed thievery, bullying, disability discrimination - and some of the worst excesses of corrupt "governance".
It's also the tip of the iceberg. What's gone on that we don't yet know about?
How come the current Mayor didn't spot that successive DASS directors were running an automatic 4 week delay, even on emergency care, that needed to be overriden by a manager. What the hell is that if not a recipe for danger and disaster? All done to save money. Did any service users directly suffer due to it? DID THE MAYOR and her committee CONDONE IT??
Well done to the Globe, but your team can only achieve so much. I've spoken to people in different parts of the country and the one thing that unites them all is their sheer amazement that this is NOT either on Panorama, or in one of the national papers, making people choke on their cornflakes.
Maybe not yet... it has all the hallmarks of a national scandal - and with two more detailed reports to come, they are not out of the woods just yet.
MX
says...
6:17pm Tue 27 Sep 11
I do hope some of our local Labour comrades were squirming in the audience.
montague1
says...
12:55pm Wed 28 Sep 11
Just read the albeit brief response from "Messers", sorry, Msrs Fox and Winkie!, in Wirral News, 28th September.
What is the matter with me today!
I know the cause. I have just had an apoplectic fit reading of their intention to remain in place!!
Faulkes and Wilkie are of course ,to whom I refer.
They are intending to;
"ACT", "OVERSEE" and, "PUT INTO PLACE" the "RECOMMENDATIONS" of the Klonowski Report!
Shameless and clueless I say.
They intend doing so in the aftermath of, to qoute Mr Foulkes, "Having received the Ultimate WAKE UP CALL" !!!.
Why oh why could he not just have carried on SLEEPING!!.
"ALARM BELLS, WHAT ALARM BELLS?".
One can only hope they will ring loud and clear in the ears of every single indivdual living on this lovely peninsula
and resonate throughout, to the extent that their cries of " GET OUT NOW" will permeate those phenomonally thick skulls and hides!!!!
Please, please, PLEASE.
ArdalMcFardle
says...
4:36pm Wed 28 Sep 11
montague1
says...
1:06pm Thu 29 Sep 11
It may be that readers/commentators
, have been completely stunnned into silence,as indeed I was, momentarily,
by the headlines in the Wirral Globe this week, headline, "Council Shockwave"!. Or, it maybe your paper has not yet arrived?.
OR, are there "OTHER REASONS" why this site become so silent?.
Reading the article with quotes from Messrs Foulkes,"This gives us a chance to change".!!.When was the last time anyone heard of a Leopard changing it's spots?!!
And Wilkie, "These report findings represent the most significant challenge
this Council faces".!!
Both statements appear to imply that they, and their ignominius cohorts in Dass, have not the least intention of going voluntarily, and continue to treat this whole disgusting scandal as nothing more than a "little local difficulty"!.
Yet again treating the electorate with the utmost derision and cynicism.
They no doubt are hoping we will all shut up, go away, and allow them to roll their tanks to roll over us!.
I, for one have no intention of shutting up, or going away, until such time as I hear they have all been sacked!.
They have vastly abused their powers,
brought shame to this Authority, And, cost the ratepayers a fortune, not to mention grief, to countless service users.People who depended on them to treat them with honesty and fairness!.
They have done none of this, and they still think they should be allowed to carry on!.No they should not!
PaulCa
says...
2:45pm Thu 29 Sep 11
montague1
says...
4:02pm Thu 29 Sep 11
It was very comforting to read your note. I can only hope and trust you know a great deal more than I do about this horrendous mess.
I will take your advice and bide my time.
Cheesy Peas says...
4:28pm Wed 21 Sep 11
No. It's your marching orders, sunshine.
And Wilkie. And the mayor. And the top half of DASS.
You should be all be pouring out of Brighton Street with heads hanging in shame.