STAFF TREATED LIKE MUSHROOMS AT GRIMSBY

All employees of NELC (including those in community schools) have received a letter from the Chief Executive outlining proposals affecting their terms and conditions. Most read of these proposals in the Grimsby Evening Telegraph before receiving letters. In August 2010 the unions were informed informally of some of the proposals and on 9th of September received formal notification, requesting a response.


An initial response the proposals were submitted on 16th September 2010, making it clear that a full and proper response would not be possible until employees were made aware of the proposals and requesting further information, including identifying those groups of staff who would be directly affected so that the union could consult their members.


Amazingly, an email was received a little more than two hours after submitting the response informing the union that a letter was to be sent to all employees informing them of the proposals on the following day and that a press release would be available to media outlets the day after that.


Furthermore, the proposals outlined in the letter were at variance with the formal notification of changes provided to the unions. It is inconceivable that this letter could have taken account of the union’s comments as it included proposals that had not been communicated to the unions in the formal notice of 9 September 2010.


UNISON has written to the Chief Executive objecting to how this has been handled and requesting a meeting with him as a matter of urgency. Just another example of North East Lincolnshire Council’s draconian and insensitive handling of key issues relating to its staff.




Shareholders could benefit at the expense of Council staff - key services taken over by private firm!

Over 300 NELC staff, covering services including Highways, Security, Planning, Regeneration, and Building Control, TUPE transferred to Balfour Beatty Workplace (BBW) as of 1 July 2010. BBW immediately embarked on a restructure which, subject to outstanding appeals, has now been concluded resulting in circa17 redundancies. Contracts for most agency staff have also been terminated and many vacant posts have been deleted. How can the services be maintained and improved with fewer staff? Perhaps Paul Daniels is acting as consultant.


Whilst members of the Council’s Planning Committee have voiced concerns about the abysmal performance of the Planning Enforcement team, BBW has responded by ……………..wait for it………………yes, reducing the planning enforcement staff. It has made the Head of Planning Enforcement redundant, leaving the remaining staff to struggle under unbearable pressure.

No doubt the residents of North east Lincolnshire will be interested to see how the other privatised services will be managed by this private, Plc firm.


The Councillors of NELC appear to have given up and tied in its constituents with this 10 year contract.


Oh how sad!

JASON  LONGHURST

Longhorn and associates are currently drafting a formal complaint against North East Lincolnshire Council to the Ombudsman and to the District Auditor.

Enquiries are continuing into whether the engagement of a management consultant, personally known to Longhurst, followed the correct procedures in respect of procurement and value for money. It appears that Council members are unaware of the spending of the Council's scarce resources on such consultants to advise  Longhurst about how to restructure his tiny department.

Balfour Beatty Workplace has taken over the running of the planning, highways staff and the people of Grimsby will be intrigued to observe the ongoing management of the contract, particularly matters of legality, value for money and propriety. It is understood that many staff have been made redundant since Balfour Beatty took over on 1 July 2010, but no redundancies have been announced, yet, on the client (retained) side. Will Longhurst or Cole be the first? Are their roles really necessary now? Marc Cole, as Director, should be able to manage this contract, where most of his former staff have been transferred to Balfour Beatty Workplace? Furthermore, it is argued that there is certainly no role for an assistant (such as Longhurst), on circa £80k per year, over 4 times more than the national average wage!!!

Full details of the complaints and allegationsmade to the Ombudsman and the District Auditor will be published soon . 

JASON LONGHURST
NORTHEAST LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

JASON LONGHURST

I am a long standing Scunthorpe supporter.

This is me being interviewed for telly - I'm important now.

Jase De Longburst
Celebrity & a new Grimsby star,

Jason Longhurst - peering over the handrail!

He's the tiny one on the right with the black and red tie - what a cool but diminutive executive??

Jaon Longhurst - is this the end of his illustrious career?

Current

• Assistant Executive Director for Planning, Transport & Housing at North East Lincolnshire Council
• CABE Enabler at CABE
• Director at iSEE Landscape Ltd
• Managing Director at Integrated Sustainable Enviro Economics (iSEE) Ltd

Past

• Executive Director - Placemaking at Black Country Consortium Ltd
• RNRP

More interest in Jason Longhurst of Grimsby

Thank you for your email to CABE's general enquiries email address drawing our attention to the complaint by xxxxx yyyyy against Jason Longhurst, in Mr Longhurst's capacity as an employee of North East Lincolnshire Council.

I do not know in what capacity you write - whether as xxxxx yyyyy's legal adviser, friend, or as a disinterested member of the public. I thank you for your solicitude for CABE's reputation, but I assume from the terms in which you write that any investigation which the council might be undertaking has not yet been concluded. It would, therefore, be contrary to natural justice and the due process of law for CABE to assume that the allegations against Mr Longhurst are proven. Whilst reputational consequences can be made to flow from unresolved allegations, in my experience they tend to be indistinguishable from mud slinging unless substantiated through some form of due process, such as the investigation which you describe. I do not imply any judgement on xxxxx yyyyy's allegations in saying this. I am in no position to make one. It is simply a fact deriving from the stage in the process which you have reached.

To assist you, it may be helpful to explain that CABE is neither a professional body, nor any other sort of membership organisation. Our status is explained on our web site (address below). We do not have "members". Nor, for the avoidance of doubt, is Mr Longhurst an employee of CABE. Mr Longhurst is a CABE Enabler. Enablers are people appointed to a framework (formerly often described as a call-down or call-off) contract, on whose services CABE can occasionally call to provide local advice. Enablers have no other connection with CABE and there are no other mutual obligations. CABE is not responsible for their conduct when they are not working for us. Being a CABE Enabler does not imply CABE's endorsement of suitability for any other employment.

I understand from what you say that Mr Longhurst is an employee of North East Lincolnshire Council. He was not employed as an Enabler by CABE to work for the council and, therefore, his conduct there is not a matter for CABE but for the council. It is difficult for me to see a way in which a finding against Mr Longhurst in any investigation could, therefore, lead to CABE being discredited, because CABE has nothing whatsoever to do with his work for the council. I can assure you, however, that we will defend CABE vigorously against any attempt to discredit it.

I note that you also say that Mr Longhurst's "suitability to serve CABE" has been called into question. You do not say by whom. It does not seem to be xxxxx yyyyyy, since CABE is (rightly and properly) not mentioned in his complaint, which seems to be a very full, clear and unambiguous statement of his grievance. I don't know if you intend to imply that it is the council. No doubt they will let me know if that is the case, so long as the outcome of the investigation can be made available to me.

I hope that I have made the position clear but please do not hesitate to contact me if I can offer further clarification.

Since I do not know your relationship to the case I have taken the liberty of copying this correspondence to xxxxx yyyyyy, the people whom you mention at the council, to Mr Longhurst and to relevant colleagues at CABE.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Simmons


Dr Richard Simmons
Chief Executive
Tel: 020 7070 6700
Fax: 020 7070 6777

Awaiting due process

Watch this space to find out how due process deals with these serious complaints.

So far, the Council has been tight lipped...........perhaps if they wait long enough the problem will go away!

Watch this space .................................................delays in dealing with serious complaints are serious issues in themselves - so watch this space.

It is hoped that North east Lincolnshire will come clean ..........at last.

But..................watch this space!

Jason Longhurst

North East Lincolnshire has recently appointed an unqualified and unemployed individual called Jason Longhurst as its Assistant Executive Director of Planning, Highways and Housing.

Just 3 months into his contract a full investigation has been launched against his mismanagement of contracts, bullying and total ineffectiveness. He has been accused of swearing and shouting at staff and is alleged to be a member of --- -------- -----!

The complaints are currently being investigated by the Chief Executive and Rob Walsh, Chief Executive and Head of Legal Services respectively. The Leader, Councillor De Freitas is being kept informed of developments.

We are informed that a threatened staff walk out is planned unless Jason Longhurst is removed from post.

The above investigation can be confirmed by the Council's CEO, although he is currently shutting himself away and not taking any calls - good luck to those who try and contact him or his cronies!