It’s been almost two weeks now since council workers declared a vote of no confidence in council chief executive Steve Beynon and leader of the council, David Pugh.
Having not received any official statement from the press office, we wrote to them yesterday requesting a response.
What follows below, arrived in our inbox this morning but looks like it was written on Monday last week, so ignore the references to the ‘meeting on Tuesday’, that has already happened.
Cllr Pugh said: “I note the concerns of these 150 Unison members about a range of matters. Many of the concerns raised are management issues which the Chief Executive, Steve Beynon, will be discussing with Mr Straker and the local Unison Secretary Mark Chiverton when they meet tomorrow (Tuesday).
“Furthermore, the Chief Executive has already given Mr Chiverton a written assurance that he is not required to make a choice between resignation and standing down as a candidate in the forthcoming general election. This is in addition to verbal assurances given by Mr Beynon to Mr Chiverton and Cllr Lumley at a meeting last Tuesday.
“In the current economic climate the Isle of Wight Council – like all local authorities – has to make a number of difficult budget decisions which will affect the way that services are delivered in the future, due to increasingly limited resources. Such proposed changes will understandably cause some concern amongst staff, and it is right that Unison – along with the other professional associations – make representations through the appropriate channels.
“I would also be pleased to receive any feedback on issues of budget or policy in advance of the Cabinet and Full Council decisions, to help inform our deliberations. It is worth noting that the published plans remain proposals at this stage, and therefore now is the appropriate timeframe for consultation and feedback.
“I note the concerns of these Unison members about the costs associated with senior staff appointments. I consider that this issue is now being addressed by a significantly reduced management team, with more permanent appointments being made to ensure that we can fulfil our statutory requirements as effectively and efficiently as possible. It should however be noted that nationally there are issues affecting recruitment in some areas, and the Island is no different. While it is often preferable to have permanent staff, if it is not possible to make such appointments then alternative arrangements such as interims have to be considered.
“Whilst noting the concerns of these Unison members regarding the budget proposal to save £50,000 by reviewing the financial support to the unions, I should make clear that, subject to the forthcoming decisions, we intend to achieve this saving during the next financial year. This review will consider how council taxpayers’ money should contribute to the facilitation of union representation. We need to ensure that the new arrangements meet our obligation to provide support for a range of unions and professional associations but in a way that represents the most cost effective use of taxpayers’ money.”
Steve Beynon, Chief Executive added: “I can understand that the budget choices the council is forced to consider, largely through factors outside of its control, are of legitimate concern to staff. While our over-riding duty is to provide efficient and effective services to residents we must also acknowledge the importance of communicating well with staff throughout the process and also make sure that staff are supported through any changes. At our recent regular meeting with Unison representatives we gave a commitment to meet with them over the coming weeks to explore a number of issues arising from the budget proposals.
“I welcome the opportunity to meet with Unison on Tuesday to make our position regarding the Branch Secretary clear and to also to discuss how we can move forward on a number of issues.”
