More matters of finance at CDC

Paakwa is not above a little name dropping, so is pleased to let his admirers know that he was invited to a meeting with David Cameron this week at the Yorkshire Post.
As copies of that august organ were free, one was perused. Imagine the surprise on reading to note the superabundance of jobs available at spendermanic Craven district council!
And not just your ordinary jobs either, but such as yet another person to join the public relations team, a team which itself doubled in size a few short weeks ago!
It pays a mere £27,594 but there is a pay award pending, and unlike the private sector retirement with a salary linked pension will be available at 60.

Or if that's not to your taste, how about a 'Housing Quality Manager' at £32,346 sound?
Again a pay increase is soon to be implemented, the pension is excellent, flexible working hours are offered, and a generous relocation package is offered. As the council sold its (or more properly our) 1540 houses a few years ago for around £5,000 each, there shouldn't be too many houses to examine.

There are presently 13 such jobs, everything from a 'Carbon reduction officer' to 'Affordable Housing Development Manager' at salaries well in excess of twice the average in Craven, cracking pensions, and a work ethic which is happy to allow a couple of weeks per annum off sick, and extended leave given freely to cover Christmas and the New Year.
It's good to have pots of money isn't it?

Except that the council doesn't, just the opposite.

It's so broke that to keep the council tax down to government levels they had to raid the reserves to the tune of £1,000,000 - around 1/3 of the total tax paid by householders, and that reserve is desperately needed to fund the massive pensions liability the council has developed.
No doubt pensioners who have seen their pensions eroded whilst council tax has rocketed, will be very happy paying their £28.00/week for a band 'D' house knowing that big chunks of their money is going for ever increasing wage demands and nice safe pension pots.

Paakwa also wonders just why CDC loses so many Directors of Finance, it almost looks as if the moment they discover the true state of finances they swiftly leave.
Such a thought is laughable 'though, surely?

Meanwhile Councillors allow officers to grant massive amounts to private limited companies, and when those officers exceed their authority the councillors promptly increase, tenfold, that authority, from £1,000 to £10,000!
And even that doesn't seem to stop them exceeding it, Paakwa is told that £15,000 has been allocated to a statue of a sportsman by a single officer.
Perhaps councillors should merely hand over control of all finances to officers?

They already seem to have given up trying to control either the appalling council finances, the ever increasing and massive pensions deficit, or insisting that transparency and openness be adhered to - Why, they won't even tell us what they've received for our assets!

Meanwhile the land offered to Bentleys at £340,000 and for which an offer of double that was swiftly made has been revalued.
In any private company such appalling management would mean that heads would roll.
Don't expect anything like that at CDC - indeed such incompetence will probably be rewarded by an increase or promotion.

Time for the second Paakwa interview, this week it's Jilly Micawber
As always, click on the little arrow at the bottom left to play it, and, again as always, any resemblance to persons living or not so lively is coincidental.
Or an act of God.