On 1st April, I submitted a Freedom of
Information request for details of the business case and costs in relation to
the recent splitting of the Executive Director & Chief Fire Officer post in
to two posts. I also requested the same information in relation to the decision
to combine the two posts in 2014. The request was acknowledged and I was told
to expect a response by 4th May. It did not come, so I sent a
reminder. It was acknowledged, but I still had no response.
I contacted the Information Commissioner’s Office, and they
wrote to West Sussex County Council, on 16th June, to point out
their failure to comply with the legislation. They also directed WSCC to
respond within ten working days, but they did not. This breach of the law is
currently awaiting allocation to a case officer at the Information Commissioner’s
Office.
On 7th August, I finally received a response from
West Sussex County Council, but it is far from satisfactory. Astonishingly,
they claim that there are no documents to justify these senior management
changes. The suggestion that the person, or persons, approving the decisions in
2014 and in 2017 had no paperwork setting out the justification, rationale and
cost of these changes defies belief. If the claim is true, then I feel sure the
Local Government Ombudsman and the National Audit Office would have serious concerns
about such lax governance.
According to West Sussex County Council £532,000 - £353,000 = £19,000
They have provided some salary costs, but claim they don’t
know the associated cost of provided vehicles, accommodation and support staff.
Something else I suspect the Local Government Ombudsman and the National Audit
Office would be concerned about. The salary figures provided are incomplete and
appear designed to mislead. They claim that replacing a combined post, which
cost £193,000 per year, with two posts totalling £372,000, will only cost an extra
£19,000!”
The figures shown for the combined post included the Deputy
Chief Officer post, but the figures for the separate posts do not. As they still
have a Deputy Chief Officer, that cost should be included, so the extra cost is
at least £179,000. That figure does
not include the vehicle, accommodation and support staff costs associated with the
extra post.
It should also be remembered that the original plan was for
Sean Ruth to continue as Executive Director, whilst receiving a Chief Fire
Officer’s pension in addition. Despite retiring from the Chief Fire Officer
part of his combined role, it seems his salary was not going to be reduced. That
is quite astonishing when you consider that the new Chief Fire Officer would be
responsible for 90% of the directorate’s budget.
Add in the pension payments and the difference in costs
between 2016-17 and 2017-18 must be an increase of around £300,000 per year. Sean Ruth recently changed his mind and left
WSCC, but if the Council appoint a new Executive Director, council taxpayers would
still be forking out an unnecessary £193,000
on top of the pension costs.
Since 2010, the County Council has cut personnel crewing
fire engines by 32% and middle managers by 26%. Senior manager posts were
initially cut, but increased again in 2013.
It is utterly scandalous that nearly a third of the firefighters who
save lives in West Sussex have been cut, whilst highly paid manager posts have
doubled, even though they manage fewer people. The Council said they could not
afford £63,000 a year to keep second
fire engines at Midhurst, Petworth and Storrington, but they are happy to squander
money on senior manager posts.
The misleading figures from WSCC mean the exact full costs are unclear. It is obviously more than £19,000, but is it £179,000, £193,000, £300,000, or something else? We must be told exactly what the full costs of this debacle are
and council taxpayers deserve a thorough investigation in to this appalling misuse
of their money.
WSCC’s creative
accounting:
Single post 2014
|
Pay
|
NI
|
Pension
|
Total
|
Executive Director and CFO
|
140,000
|
18,000
|
35,000
|
193,000
|
Director & Deputy Chief
|
116,000
|
15,000
|
29,000
|
160,000
|
Total
|
256,000
|
33,000
|
64,000
|
353,000
|
Separate posts 2017
|
||||
Executive Director
|
140,000
|
18,000
|
35,000
|
193,000
|
Director & CFO
|
130,000
|
17,000
|
32,000
|
179,000
|
Total
|
270,000
|
35,000
|
67,000
|
372,000
|
Difference: £372,000 – £353,000 = £19,000
The figures for the
separate posts that should have been shown:
Separate
posts 2017
|
Pay
|
NI
|
Pension
|
Total
|
Executive Director
|
140,000
|
18,000
|
35,000
|
193,000
|
Director & CFO (new post)
|
130,000
|
17,000
|
32,000
|
179,000
|
Director & Deputy Chief
|
116,000
|
15,000
|
29,000
|
160,000
|
Total
|
386,000
|
50,000
|
96,000
|
532,000
|
Difference: £532,000 - £353,000 = £179,000
(not including Sean Ruth’s
pension, and vehicle, accommodation & support staff costs for the new CFO
post)
