I noticed today a delegated powers report signed on 15th February 2011 authorising the use of a company called CCMPS ltd to fill the role of Assistant Director Commercial Assurance for the next 12 months. The report states that having searched for a new Assistant Director they have failed to recruit a suitable candidate so they have gone to a company CCMPS to supply a qualified consultant. "CCMPS Ltd. (consultancy) identified a professional with the skills, experience and commercial acumen required to lead delivery of the Council’s objectives in relation to commercial activity". This makes CCMPS sound like a big firm. However on closer scrutiny it transpires that this company was only formed in February 2010 and has yet to submit accounts. The directors of CCMPS are a Mr and Mrs Malyon. Now would that be Mr Chris Malyon who was the interim Assistant Director of Finance at Barnet Council from February 2010 and according to his linkedin profile has been the in the post of assistant Director Commercial Services (the one for which they are seeking authorisation) for last four months.
So to summarise the Commercial Director is seeking authorisation to appoint a consultant:
- who has already been working for the council since last February;
- has been in the post for which they are seeking authorisation for the last four months;
- who has identified himself as being the right man for the job;
- who will be at the council for the next year at a cost of £650 a day (£169,000 per annum).
The report states that any shortfall in the salary costs between the permanent post (£119,560 - £130,300 inc on costs) and the consultants cost will be met from "the Council’s Transformation Reserve as approved by the Chief Finance Officer" (another consultant).
The report concludes that, "After 12 months the Council will go through the necessary recruitment procedures to appoint permanently to the AD Commercial Assurance role".
Maybe I'm old fashioned but something here just doesn't seem right to me.
1. how hard did they search before going to this 'consultancy'?
ReplyDelete2. how many other consultancies did they use to look for suitable candidates?
3. how much would the post cost the tax payer if this was filled by a permanent member of staff?
4. how many senior posts are being filled in this way?
I see that the Commercial Director is saying,
ReplyDeleteI have considered whether the issues involved are likely to raise significant levels of
public concern, or give rise to policy considerations. I consider they do not.
I think the public should be the judge of that!
Mr Reasonable
ReplyDeleteWould you consider standing for the GLA next year?
Can I second that Mr Reasonable? I will pledge to campaign for you.
ReplyDeleteWhat doesn't seem right to me is that the above comments are a personal attack on Mr Malyon who may (or may not) be an extremely concientious chap who is working hard to bring about huge savings whilst protecting front line services. To say that he has identified himself for the job is ridiculous - unless he is has Jedi mind powers of course.
ReplyDeleteAccording to these figures, to receive an an annual salary of £160k pa on a day rate of £650, he would have to work every week day. Surely if this was the case, there would be no Mrs Malyon....!!!
I know we like to batter consultants but at the end of the day, surely we should be more concerned about the outcomes, not the individual.
Anonymous
ReplyDeleteYour comments would have more credibility if they were not anonymous. You could be Mr Maylon for all we know.
It seems more likely than not that you have a vested interest in this, so why not declare it (and yourself)?
Apologies for the typo: Mr Malyon, not Maylon.
ReplyDeleteI think this blog is concerned about outcomes, which is why Mr Reasonable is so concerned to batter consultants, but since I think you must have written your post tongue in cheek, I will say no more.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous, I have been very careful not to accuse Mr Malyon of anything. You are correct in that he may or may not be a very conscientious chap. My comment is on the delegated powers report and the way Mr Malyon was selected. My comment about Mr Malyon selecting himself is based on the section of the report which states, "CCMPS Ltd. (consultancy) identified a professional with the skills, experience and commercial acumen required to lead delivery of the Council’s objectives in relation to commercial activity". As far as I can see there are only two directors of the company, Mr & Mrs Malyon, so to me if the report says "CCMPS identified a professional with the skills..." then that looks to me like Mr Malyon picked himself. In terms of salary, if he works 5 days a week and has 4 weeks holiday a year that still comes to £156,000 a year.
ReplyDeleteMr Anonymous, at a time when 800 people are under threat of redundancy and frontline service are being cut, spending £650 a day on a consultant (however good they are) to fill a full time post for a year with no apparent formal tender process and concealed in a report which seeks to obscure some key facts seems entirely inapproriate. If you and some other people at Barnet Council don't understand that then that simply shows how out of touch you/ they are with the feelings of so many Barnet residents. As for outcomes I look forward to seeing the evidence but from what I can see so far One Barnet has cost more than it has saved. Mr Anonymous,if you are Mr Malyon I am sorry you have been dragged into this but that comes with the territory of being a consultant. If you are a councillor or council officer I would be delighted to have a meeting with you to discuss this in an open and honest manner to help you understand the frustration and anger of so many Barnet residents. Blogs are one of the few outlets where members of the public can raise these issues and long may it continue.
There are many things about this blog which are not quite right (including a few of the comments). Most large organisations have a preferred supplier list for recruitment companies. To get on this list, certain criteria are met. They advertise jobs and supply a list of candidates. It would be very interesting to know how widely these posts were advertised. I'd suggest an FOI. There must have been some sort of contract
ReplyDelete