Well, well, well.
Brentford TV to Brentford Today & TV: #Debate Not Hate#5h · COUNCIL'S INTERNAL REPORT EXPOSES "PROBLEMS WITH CORPORATE CULTURE • PEOPLE POLICIES NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE • POOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APPROACH" – As soon as he saw the document, Cllr John Todd took a screen grab. That was fortunate because, when he asked questions, it was immediately removed. It had been written by the senior management at Hounslow Borough Council and was a frank admission of serious performance failings. It declared: ‘Our digital offer is ineffective, our customer service delivery is not good enough (and)…We do not have a single Corporate, systematic way of understanding our customers and their needs.'The report was an Appendix to a recent Single Member Decision in which a Cabinet member sought an additional £500,000 to restructure the Council's Human Resources and Organisational Development Department.The Appendix said: "This is a programme of change, to ensure that the council is at the cutting edge of public service delivery. We are not at the moment…The first phase is to rectify current issues and problems with our corporate culture and infrastructure."We do not systematically look at how we are doing and how effective we are and whether what we are doing is meeting the real, objectively identified needs of our communities."Our people policies are not fit for purpose and our approach to investing and developing talent and rewarding people is inadequate."Our approach to public service reform and public service integration is segmented and very under-developed. Our approach to community engagement is poor. We are stuck in a neighbourhood renewal paradigm that pre-dates austerity."Cllr Todd says: "I posed a number of questions about this report believed to have been written in February including ‘who wrote this section?' and ‘where is the data previously published which evidences the adverse comments in this section?' I received a prompt response. The senior management had drafted this paragraph (italicised above). My second question was not answered to my satisfaction."Cllr Todd says: "My interest in the council's performance was heightened In June 2019 when the cabinet agreed a different way of assessing its performance data, highlighting success rather than failure. Our opposition role is to chase the latter so I met with the Chief Executive and Head of Overview and Scrutiny to express my concerns."My intervention over the HR and OD Report caused the Cabinet Member to direct that the published appendix I had quoted from be immediately removed from the LBH website. A most unusual course of action."The Cabinet member in question was Cllr Candice Atterton and here is the Council proposal she was approving: https://democraticservices.hounslow.gov.uk/documents/s163160/HR%20OD%20SMD%2027.8.20v2.pdf
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