NEWS
SEN-eO1-S2 [P/R]
‘HIDDEN AGENDA’: Joan Walley, MP for Stokeon-Trent North.
MP in talks on academy plan A CITY MP is calling for urgent talks after six primary schools were told to become academies. Joan Walley, whose Stokeon-Trent North constituency covers several of the affected schools, is demanding to know why they have been singled out by the Government. Now she is seeking a meeting with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to discuss her concerns. It comes after The Sentinel revealed the Potteries schools featured on a Government hit list of under-performing primaries. Ms Walley said: “I don’t think there is any transparency over what the Government is doing. There seems to be a hidden agenda for privatising schools.” The primaries will be expected to take on academy status in September and could be sponsored by successful schools. The list is thought to include: Mill Hill Primary, Maple Court Primary, in Bentilee, Burnwood Primary, in Chell Heath, Harpfield Primary, in Hartshill, and Sandyford’s Hollywall Primary.
Parent group’s profits on rise PROFITS are up at the parent group of ceramics firm Johnson Tiles. Home consumer products group Norcros announced its results for the 26 weeks up to September 30 yesterday. The results showed a growth in revenue of 5.3 per cent to £102.4 million. Trading profits grew by 2.2 per cent to £6.3 million despite significant energy and commodity price increases. Chairman John Brown said: “Although we expect market conditions to remain challenging, we have a strong financial position and new banking facilities until 2015.” Johnson Tiles, which makes ceramic tiles, employs about 400 people at its Harewood Street factory in Tunstall.
At-risk factory sees sales fall A FACTORY for disabled workers which faces closure has seen its sales slump. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is considering closing or offloading Newpak Products, based in Chesterton. It faces a £250,000 bill to keep Newpak Products, based in London Road, open and running after Staffordshire County Council cut its £100,000 funding. Latest financial reports show sales have slumped by £200,000 this year. The council has set a deadline of December 19 for a social or private enterprise to take on the facility. If no deal is agreed, the factory could be closed down and its 16 workers made redundant. It would follow 13 redundancies earlier this year.
THE SENTINEL Friday November 18, 2011
In brief
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: Children have been marking the traditional Hindu festival of Diwali by holding a celebration at their school. Reception class pupils from Kingsfield First School, in Biddulph, staged the event yesterday, complete with candles and costumes. Parents and grandparents were invited to join in with the celebration, which is known as the festival of lights. Saraya Pearce, aged four, is seen in costume at yesterday’s event at the school. Picture: Phil Radcliffe
CHELL HEATH: All dads, grandads and stepdads of children under the age of five are invited to join a new social group. Satur‘dads’ is designed to give men the chance to spend some time with their children. Breakfasts such as scrambled egg, oatcakes and beans on toast, will be served up while parents and grandparents play with their young ones and gain ‘early years’ experience. The group meets at Stoke North Children's Centre, Bishops Road, Chell Heath, on Saturday, December 3 from 10.30am until noon. For more details call Kate Nicholls on 01782 231096 or email kate.nicholls@ stoke.gov.uk
Total spending cut from £19.2m to £6.4m in cull
Blitz on consultants and agency workers BY ALEX CAMPBELL alex.campbell@thesentinel.co.uk
MORE than £12 million has been slashed from the annual bill for consultants and temporary staff taken on by a cashstrapped council. New figures reveal Stoke-onTrent City Council has spent almost £40 million on the external support in three years. But finance officers have cut the annual bill by more than half and say they’ve shattered a “culture” of allowing consultants to stay on much longer than they are needed. Figures out today show: ■ The total annual bill for external workers has fallen from £19.2 million two years ago to £6.4 million; ■ Spending on consultants has been cut from £9.5 million in 2009/10 to £2.8 million; ■ Temporary staff from agencies cost £9.1 million in 2009/10 but this year will cost up to £3.6 million; ■ Interim staff drafted in to cover specific posts slumped from £600,000 in 2009/10 to £100,000 this year. The £2.8 million 2010/11 consultants’ costs include spending up to £604,000 on Vanguard Consulting to identify inefficiencies and identify millions of pounds savings. It comes as the council is looking for a ‘no win no fee’ partner to tackle long-term overspending in procurement, which is the way the council buys in goods and services. Over the
3
How the figures break down... Year
Consultants
Agency staff Interim staff
2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
£9.5m £7.1m £2.8m
£9.1m £6m £3.5m
same time period, 1,080 workers have left the council; 833 through voluntary redundancy, 213 through compulsory redundancy and 34 through early retirement. The figures have been revealed as the council’s cabinet considers plans to enter the city council into a national framework for recruiting temporary staff. Council officials say the move could trim up to a further £540,000 from the authority’s agency staff bill. Peter Bates, the council’s assistant director of financial services, said the council has made a deliberate attempt to reduce its dependency on external support. He said: “We have majored on dealing with the council exiting itself from using agency staff, interim managers and external consultants. “We’re not saying we’ve got rid of all of them, but clearly the direction we’re heading in is very positive. “We still require consultants, because we haven’t got every skill within the council “But the idea is that you get rid of them when their task is finished. “Historically, we haven’t been as good at terminating consultants when their work is done. “It can be difficult for staff to understand that we’re shedding jobs at one end of the authority and having highly-
£0.6m £0.3m £0.1m
paid consultants at the other.” Councillor Sarah Hill, cabinet member for finance, below left, added: “Under the previous system interim directors would bring in their own consultants and you couldn’t get
rid of them, but the whole culture has changed.” The cabinet will meet on Thursday to discuss joining the Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources (MSTAR) framework. Private company Comensura will provide access to a range of agencies at agreed rates which are reduced by bulk agreements.
Has the council been spending too much on consultants? Email us at letters@ thesentinel.co.uk
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FENTON: Pub licensee Gary Fullerton has admitted being the owner of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control in a public place. The 51-year-old, who runs The Foaming Tankard in Fenton, accepts he set his dog on his victim. Fullerton will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after a report is prepared on him by a probation officer. His bail was enlarged when he appeared at the court yesterday. CHELL HEATH: Defendant Daniel Dodd, aged 28, of Bentley Road, Chell Heath, has appeared before North Staffordshire magistrates charged with possessing cannabis with intent to supply on July 27. He is also accused of possessing criminal property, namely £540 cash. Dodd will enter his pleas at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, where he was ordered to attend on December 12. MILTON: Single mum Justine Killeen has pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and using a vehicle without insurance. The 40-year-old, of Millrise Road, Milton, committed the offences at Milton on November 2, North Staffordshire Magistrates’ Court heard. Magistrates adjourned the case until Monday so a report can be prepared on the defendant.
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