Andrea Hill in Winston Hall giving a talk about spending cuts.; EADT 18.1.11
Suffolk: Authority’s total bill for guru more than £27k
By Sara McCorquodale
Saturday, March 5, 2011
2:50 PM
SUFFOLK: The county council has spent more than £27,000 on management coaching sessions for authority bosses since 2008.
Yesterday the Evening Star revealed £12,075 of the public’s money had been used to pay for chief executive Andrea Hill’s 23 sessions with professional “change” guru Sol Davidson.
And now we can reveal Mrs Hill, council leader Jeremy Pembroke and the authority’s corporate management board received a total of 53 sessions, bringing the bill to £27,825.
The cited board is thought to include council directors Andy Fry, Anna McCreadie, Lucy Robinson and Graham Dixon.
The council said it hired Mr Davidson to “establish an effective, collegiate style of working” and for “teambuilding to weld the cabinet and corporate management board into a single effective unit”.
These sessions lasted between one hour and an hour-and-a-half and cost £525 plus VAT each.
Suffolk County Council has refused to comment any further on the authority’s expenditure on coaching with Mr Davidson.
In addition, a spokesperson said any more details on the subject can only be obtained through a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
However, the authority on Thursday defended using the guru’s services.
A spokesman said the sessions were in line with “training normally provided to senior officers”.
On a webpage about Mr Davidson, his work is described as “helping those brave enough to step into leadership positions to reinterpret many of their experiences and in doing so liberate themselves and their organisations into much higher levels of performance and capability”.
Sandy Martin, leader of the Labour Party in Suffolk, said spending thousands on a coaching sessions for council bosses showing “poor judgment”.
He said: “I think people will be very angry about this.
“They face losing vital services and learning how much the council has spent on coaching sessions won’t give them confidence in the authority.
“The Conservative administration doesn’t seem to realise how important front-line services are to the people of Suffolk.”
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9 comments
Clearly, no one can see how important these training sessions are for the council's senior executives. Anyone would think the money invested in this valuable "training" might have been better spent running the county's libraries and paying lollipop ladies to do a couple of hours a day making sure children get across the road safely at school crossings!
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martha farquhar
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
There seems to be an obsession with Suffolk County Council's wasteful spending. How about the media looking across Russell Road and asking Ipswich Borough Council how much they have wasted on external consultants? They are just as irresponsible in wasting taxpayer's money.
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england1770
Monday, March 7, 2011
Why not just sack her?
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p smith
Monday, March 7, 2011
I work hard to get victims of crime a better support service which isn't there. This really pees me off! Victims of crime could do with a few hundred to fund counselling and out of pocket expenses, Ken clarke is cutting victim's compensation, little as it is, yet Ondrea whose pay should cover CPD (?) spends tax-payers money like this, Wow, wrong, but who are the idiots folks??!
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D A
Sunday, March 6, 2011
I bet Ms Hill laughs all the way home to Cambridgeshire.
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Winston Barrington Jr.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
"helping those brave enough to step into leadership positions " - they take the salaries, they were brave enough to make that choice. The more fundamental question is about the judgement of those who appointed these leaders, if they were not able leaders why were they given the posts? Most of them (Andrea, Andy Fry Graham Dixon etc) can be laid at the door of the councillors. I am afraid the blame for the appointment of Jeremy Pembroke and his coleagues lies at the door of the electorate of Suffolk and as he said on the recent radio show "any Suffolk Questions" he will keep going with what he thinks is right and you have to wait until 2013 to let him know how you feel. Now there's a passionate caring attitude if ever I heard one. And I will place a wager that those who benefit from his rule will vote him back in.
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Citizen
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Our County Council is even making the National news now!! This is in national newspapers today (Saturday) !! 34 of a page.
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Bluetooth
Saturday, March 5, 2011
At the price tag of her salary I thought she was already an expert, in fact she should use those expensive talents to teach others and bring in revenue for the county!
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BentleyTech
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Absolutely disgraceful, these people spend our taxes without a thought or care, the traing was for personal development, not needed for the council. services are being cut, workers losing jobs.over 80 managers are being paid over£55k pa pension pots overflowing. They should be sacked.
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richard procter
Saturday, March 5, 2011