Forum Topic

£62 - 66,000/year on Offer for New Ealing Council Assistant Director of Leisure

Ealing Council's web site is advertising for a new Assistant Director of Leisure for up £66,000/year.During a period of financial austerity when the Council fired half of the Park Rangers, closed drop-in centres for the disabled and will fire professional library staff is now the time to increase the spending on managing leisure by £66,000/year?What exactly is the leisure that this person will assist in directing one wonders?What do others think?

Eric Alan Leach ● 5414d16 Comments

Colm,I think that this is the main point

Peter Chadburn ● 5404d

Thanks Peter. I hadn't expressed an opinion, I was merely sharing information. It's hard to believe that this position needs filling, given that there are over 50% fewer rangers to manage and the parks budget has been cut as much as it has. There will be damn all to do for the person who fills this position. It makes it harder to believe Labour when they say they are cutting management positions and back office functions to save frontline services

Colm Costello ● 5404d

Colm,I think the issue could be that for higher paid jobs a recuitment freeze would be the sort of thing expected of an organisation. re-deploy the resources you have and slash budgets through natural wastage. your answer did not imply an opinion and that is what people are looking atPeter

Peter Chadburn ● 5404d

Who is that assumption aimed at George

Colm Costello ● 5404d

Sounds as though you have no problem with this in a recession.

George Knox ● 5404d

I believe this is not a new position. The person who held this position recently left the council

Colm Costello ● 5404d

Type 'Assistant Director Leisure Ealing Council' into Google and the advertisement pops right up there so you can apply for the job.

Eric Alan Leach ● 5410d

Where did you say the application form was?

Charles Campbell ● 5410d

It is interesting that the post is assistant director. sounds rather grand. surely the high ups must adjust and work smarter to keep costs down. keep as many employed as possible for the sake of the economy and do not replace higher earning jobs

Peter Chadburn ● 5413d

Jim,I ran a computer business.Sad to hear you are losing your job.

Eric Alan Leach ● 5413d

Really what we need is a structure with salaries to understand Leisure Services. Did Phil Taylor print out a big earners table and place copies on the seats at a Save a Library meeting? Perhaps he could find this structure for us. Please. See it helps to be polite Phil. Usually in recessions there is a default position called VP (Vacant Posts). "Flat structures" as opposed to "pyramid structures" may be a way of weathering the Coalition onslaught. However I am concerned about big capital projects running at the same time as spending cuts. Sorry different sort of money eh Phil? I am sore that the Conservative administration allowed plans to go forward to demolish the multistorey car park in West Ealing and Labour voted them through. Now I see a proposal for a new one in Southall. This anomaly has the stamp of being occifer produced. The much delayed LDF doco is another example. So is the Brenda Waltz Dance School in the Town Hall. Maybe some weakening of the senior officer structure is no bad thing.

Arthur Breens ● 5414d

No Eric I don't work for the council and I am currently work for Ealing CVS. However I am affected by fudning cuts (by PCT & Social Services) I will be out of my job by end of month.The budget also includes staffing cost for "Indians" and just the "Chiefs". I don't agreed with the Park Rangers' cut either, but it does not stop me having a view on the AD post.What type of business do you run Eric?

Jim Wong ● 5414d

Jim,'Real life'?I only ran my own business for 21 years.You've made the point I was hoping someone would make ie £60,000+ for an assistant directing the libraries etc but loss of employment completely for some librarians.You are not a Council employee are you by any chance?

Eric Alan Leach ● 5414d

Eric you fail to understand how things works in "real life". If someone is in charge of a multi-million pounds budget and a salary of around £60K, that is reasonable value. Leisure services don't work on its own and by the way leisure service could include Sports and Library. Which I believed you are campaigning for their continuation.

Jim Wong ● 5414d

Does it may matter whether it's a replacement post?The Council is apparently trying to save money.In terms of priorities surely leisure comes way down the services' list after housing, health, public order, education, the disabled, the elderly....

Eric Alan Leach ● 5414d

Are you suggesting that this is a new post Eric? Is it not more likely that this is a replacement?

James Brown ● 5414d