Purdah Options

[Simon Kirby]

Story here.

"The council has been awarded a £5.07m grant from the Department for Transport on the basis that it agreed to fund the remaining 30 per cent – or £2.17m."

As I understand it our government, national and local, are supposed to respect this period of purdah and not publish this kind of news. If this really is WBC putting this news out there then it really is very poor form.

[On the edge]

Frankly, I'd follow the example of some other Countries and have rather stricter rules about information. Arguably, all business should stop until after an election. The usual accounting statistics excepted. There should be no difficulty about this - particularly as this time the date was known five years ago. It's nothing new either, those of us with civil service knowledge know nothing moves until 'the vote' is approved.

In this case, as U23 points out, it isn't even news, simply confirming a project us in track - so yes, it's reasonable to ask why now? I also have to say I'm personally very uncomfortable that a new CEO at NTC has just been appointed. Similarly, that should have waited too. Arguably some new NTC candidates might even feel there is no real justification in replacing this role.

[user23]

Frankly, I'd follow the example of some other Countries and have rather stricter rules about information. Arguably, all business should stop until after an election. The usual accounting statistics excepted. There should be no difficulty about this - particularly as this time the date was known five years ago. It's nothing new either, those of us with civil service knowledge know nothing moves until 'the vote' is approved.

In this case, as U23 points out, it isn't even news, simply confirming a project us in track - so yes, it's reasonable to ask why now? I also have to say I'm personally very uncomfortable that a new CEO at NTC has just been appointed. Similarly, that should have waited too. Arguably some new NTC candidates might even feel there is no real justification in replacing this role.

Are you saying all ongoing projects at a council should be suspended during a local election?

[On the edge]

Are you saying all ongoing projects at a council should be suspended during a local election?

Arguably they should be planned to be at a project break point so they can be stopped. Thus us nowhere near as difficult as might be imagined and is (or certainly was) usual practice in national government. It also happens in business, for instance in cases of mergers and acquisitions, in those cases, quite major projects will be stopped its little notice. At least in the public sector, the democratic timetable is known.

[user23]

Arguably they should be planned to be at a project break point so they can be stopped. Thus us nowhere near as difficult as might be imagined and is (or certainly was) usual practice in national government. It also happens in business, for instance in cases of mergers and acquisitions, in those cases, quite major projects will be stopped its little notice. At least in the public sector, the democratic timetable is known.

Shutting down projects at some councils for one month most years doesn't seem very efficient.

What would staff working on those project do for that month?

[On the edge]

Shutting down projects at some councils for one month most years doesn't seem very efficient.

What would staff working on those project do for that month?

Identifying break points, funding periods and managing risks in projects is actually standard practice in organisations with competent project managers. Of course as is widely acknowledged, public sector project delivery isn't good. Rather than explain in detail, how you do this, I'll simply direct you to the Council's excellent public library which has a good selection of books on project management.

[user23]

Identifying break points, funding periods and managing risks in projects is actually standard practice in organisations with competent project managers. Of course as is widely acknowledged, public sector project delivery isn't good. Rather than explain in detail, how you do this, I'll simply direct you to the Council's excellent public library which ha
s a good selection of books on project management.

Rather than being so patronising perhaps you'd answer question of what you'd expect staff to do for a whole month most years at some councils when all projects are suspended?

[On the edge]

Rather than being so patronising perhaps you'd answer question of what you'd expect staff to do for a whole month most years at some councils when all projects are suspended?

I would expect the professional management (both project and executive) of the Council to have factored this in at project inception. Frankly, it's not me bring patronising, more you doubting the professional skills and capabilities of the Council staff.

[user23]

I would expect the professional management (both project and executive) of the Council to have factored this in at project inception. Frankly, it's not me bring patronising, more you doubting the professional skills and capabilities of the Council staff.

But you're talking about all projects, so factored in or not you haven't answered what you'd expect these staff to be doing for one month most years, given all work has been suspended.

Essentally you're proposing gardening leave for a month, for a large number of staff, which seems like a huge waste of money.

[Andy Capp]

But you're talking about all projects, so factored in or not you haven't answered what you'd expect these staff to be doing for one month most years, given all work has been suspended.

Essentally you're proposing gardening leave for a month, for a large number of staff, which seems like a huge waste of money.

I'm not sure that's what OTE meant. I thought he meant that no voting should take place and no preparation work for new proposals should take place until after an imminent election.

All approved work should continue in my view and I'm sure there would be a lot of back-filling work to do, so I doubt they need to sit around twiddling their thumbs.

[On the edge]

I'm not sure that's what OTE meant. I thought he meant that no voting should take place and no preparation work for new proposals should take place until after an imminent election.

All approved work should continue in my view and I'm sure there would be a lot of back-filling work to do, so I doubt they need to sit around twiddling their thumbs.

Quite so.

That also should include what are often seen as sub projects moving from their funded and agreed stages.

I have been intimately involved with at least two major projects for the civil service which, in planning terms at least, spanned changes in Government. We completed and delivered a development, which we fully expected to move to implementation. This latter phase was cancelled by the different incoming administration.