NTC CEO Options

[NWNREADER]

What's the story?

PRESS RELEASE
Date: 20 October 2014
NEWBURY TOWN COUNCIL –
RESIGNATION OF NEWBURY TOWN COUNCIL CEO
It is with regret that Newbury Town Council announces the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer, Graham Hunt.
Cllr Julian Swift-Hook, Leader of the Council said, “I’d like to thank Graham for his years of service to the Town Council and to wish him well for the future.”

[gel]

Graham Hunt ex NTC CEO

If he wins a settlement, Newbury's taxpayers will be stumping up yet more £cash£.

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/14...ef-says-he.html

[Strafin]

Funny how the forums hero RUP didn't mention this....

[Cognosco]

Graham Hunt ex NTC CEO

If he wins a settlement, Newbury's taxpayers will be stumping up yet more £cash£.

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/news/14...ef-says-he.html

Perhaps he now understands how Simon felt all the time he was CEO and condoned the same doled out treatment?

[On the edge]

Funny how the forums hero RUP didn't mention this....

I would have thought that as it's an ongoing case and (if British justice still exists) RUP should be a key witness, therefore can't comment at the moment.

[Strafin]

He didn't mention it at the time and it wouldn't have been then. I don't know if a tribunal counts as a court case in that way.

[On the edge]

I suppose going to a tribunal is just in the gift of the resigned CEO. So whatever the logic of doing so, as its not going to cost him, it's simply another opportunity. Yes, it's quasi judicial; which is what makes it so dangerous. Who is going to properly and robustly defend the claims that are made? Sadly, there is no news of any formal enquiry and so we just have to wait.

[Andy Capp]

Perhaps he now understands how Simon felt all the time he was CEO and condoned the same doled out treatment?

Hear, hear.

[Andy Capp]

It is interesting to see how senior mangers, in fairly well paid jobs, react to being put under similar pressure as they might do to their subordinates.

Of course it would be wrong to jump to conclusions without being aware of all the facts.

[Simon Kirby]

There's obviously going to be a significant legal bill for this hearing as NTC were represented by a barrister - I wonder if NTC has any kind of legal expenses insurance to cover this kind of eventuality?

[Simon Kirby]

If he wins a settlement, Newbury's taxpayers will be stumping up yet more £cash£.

This is an interesting case from Kent.
The significant points are that

• Clerk resigns, alleging bullying as the cause, claiming constructive unfair dismissal
• Clerk wins £80,000
• Judge finds that actually she wasn't bullied
• But finds that the Council's handling of her grievance was inept

So even though the Clerk wasn't actually bullied she won her case because the Council mis-managed her complaint. It's notable that RUP wasn't called by either side to account for what is alleged to have happened so I'm guessing that both sides felt that they would serve their interests best by not allowing RUP to refute their version of events.

In the Kent case the Council says the majority of that £80,000 payout will come from their insurers - so it's a reasonable question to ask whether or not NTC has made a claim on its insurers.

[Andy Capp]

I doubt the CEO knows.

[CrackerJack]

I imagine, given RUP's Equality & Diversity credentials, that if you happen to have a contrary position to him in any argument you have to be very very careful with the tone, inflection and content of every single comment you make. Tiresome in a working environment. Multiplied by ten if they happen to be a frequent user of the Race Card.

Just saying like...........

[Berkshirelad]

I suppose going to a tribunal is just in the gift of the resigned CEO. So whatever the logic of doing so, as its not going to cost him,

Not quite, claimants now have to pay to bring a case.

Although I guess this is waived if the claimant wins.

This was started to stop frivolous/specious cases being raised at considerable cost for the defendant with no redress is the case was thrown out

[On the edge]

Not quite, claimants now have to pay to bring a case.

Although I guess this is waived if the claimant wins.

This was started to stop frivolous/specious cases being raised at considerable cost for the defendant with no redress is the case was thrown out

Perhaps I should have worded that better. The fees are pretty minimal - particularly in something like this. I don't think the looser pays the other side's costs either. So, the cost is next to nothing; odds still better than a few quid at Ladbrookes.

[Exhausted]

I don't know where making demands on well paid staff and giving them a hard time if they fail to meet standards that would be expected of them becomes bullying. I believe that we have become too soft in our approach to management of staff if we allow a person to fail so badly in their work that they cost the company financial losses due to their ineptness without some serious discipline.
However the problem with parish councils, as we have seen around our own area, not only Newbury, is that the whole management system is run by amateurs who have little experience or else see themselves as country squires.
In this particular case and I can only judge by the information that has come to light, The leader of the council has not applied the appropriate discipline to a paid employee and has then allowed one of his council members to take up the case and who, possibly, went a bit over the top.
RUP comes from a disciplined work ethic not dissimilar to that which would be applied in HM Forces and when he realised that the whole episode had been swept under the carpet it was perhaps outside his work ethic to accept what he saw as mismanagement.
We can only wait to see what the tribunal think and trust that the legal expenses paid out by the NTC save us from a massive payout.

[Cognosco]

I don't know where making demands on well paid staff and giving them a hard time if they fail to meet standards that would be expected of them becomes bullying. I believe that we have become too soft in our approach to management of staff if we allow a person to fail so badly in their work that they cost the company financial losses due to their ineptness without some serious discipline.
However the problem with parish councils, as we have seen around our own area, not only Newbury, is that the whole management system is run by amateurs who have little experience or else see themselves as country squires.
In this particular case and I can only judge by the information that has come to light, The leader of the council has not applied the appropriate discipline to a paid employee and has then allowed one of his council members to take up the case and who, possibly, went a bit over the top.
RUP comes from a disciplined work ethic not dissimilar to that which would be applied in HM Forces and when he realised that the whole episode had been swept under the carpet it was perhaps outside his work ethic to accept what he saw as mismanagement.
We can only wait to see what the tribunal think and trust that the legal expenses paid out by the NTC save us from a massive payout.

Come on do keep up you know full well the standard operating procedure? A Town Councillor opens their mouth, burps or *arts and it costs us precept payers a wedge!
I do wish you would not denigrate amateurs by stating they are as inept as our Town Councillors!

[Exhausted]

Come on do keep up you know full well the standard operating procedure? A Town Councillor opens their mouth, burps or *arts and it costs us precept payers a wedge! I do wish you would not denigrate amateurs by stating they are as inept as our Town Councillors!

Yes, a bit remiss of me, a pity that a couple of key witnesses were not called, RUP and perhaps Simon to put the boot on the other foot so to speak.

[Simon Kirby]

The decision in NTC's former clerk's Employment Tribunal was due a couple of weeks ago now, but we've heard nothing. I wonder if NTC quietly settled out of court.

[Ruwan Uduwerage-...]

Yes, a bit remiss of me, a pity that a couple of key witnesses were not called, RUP and perhaps Simon to put the boot on the other foot so to speak.

Which side would have called me as I image that neither would wish me to speak? There is the dilemma!

Apparently I have to sit back and have exceptionally negative things said about me without any opportunity for redress!

When will the people of Newbury demand to know what has happened?

Ruwan Uduwerage-Perera
Liberal Democrat Activist and former 'Whistle Blowing Councillor'