You're Jealous! Council Chief Paid More Than Pm Blasts Critics

[jfk]

Apologies for the Daily Hate-Mail link here

You're jealous! Council chief paid more than PM blasts critics

By Jonathan Petre and Andrew Young

Last updated at 1:25 AM on 3rd April 2011

Andrea Hill: Suffolk council chief executive said 'successful' people should be held as role models

Andrea Hill: Suffolk council chief executive said 'successful' people should be held as role models

One of Britain’s highest-paid town hall chiefs – attacked for resisting a salary cut while lavishing taxpayers’ money on a leadership coach and publicity photographs – has accused her critics of ‘envying’ her success.

In an extraordinary 1,800-word article for the Suffolk County Council staff newsletter, chief executive Andrea Hill defended her £218,592 salary, which is £75,000 higher than the Prime Minister’s, and said she should be praised as a role model.

But her comments coincided with fresh revelations that she claimed expenses to stay in upmarket hotels to avoid getting up early for breakfast meetings.

The disclosure will spark a fresh row about spending at the Tory-run council, which is making £43 million of cuts, reducing staff numbers by 1,500 and axeing services such as school crossing patrols and recycling centres.

In her article, Mrs Hill, 47, said she and her family had been ‘aghast’ at attacks against her by political opponents and the media, including columnist Janet Street-Porter who labelled her ‘this repulsive woman’.

Mrs Hill wrote: ‘People who are successful at work should be held up as role models to help our young people in Suffolk aspire to success. But it seems that some would prefer to engage in the politics of envy – to such an extent there are now websites calling for people to carry out extreme acts of violence against me and to follow me home.’

She defended her salary by saying she had refused pay rises for the last two years. She added that the £14,188 spent by the council for her to have 23 training sessions with leadership coach Sol Davidson at £525 a time had proved ‘incredibly helpful in helping me do a tough job in a complex environment’.

She also responded to accusations that she was ‘shockingly vain’ after having glamorous pictures of herself taken as part of a package of publicity photographs that cost the council £1,474.

She said the pictures of her had been taken in council corridors rather than a studio and cost only a fraction of the claimed figure.

Her article coincided with disclosures that she had stayed in hotels on expenses in order to avoid rising early in the morning to travel the 60 miles from her home in Cambridgeshire to breakfast meetings yards from her office in Ipswich.

A Freedom of Information request disclosed that she had claimed a total of £170 for two stays at Kesgrave Hall hotel, about five miles from Ipswich. Her first stay last May was before she attended a 7.30am breakfast meeting in Ipswich and after she had attended a late evening meeting.

The second stay in June was the night before another 7.30am breakfast meeting in Ipswich. She claimed a further £120 in February to stay in the four-star Brudenell hotel on the seafront at Aldeburgh after a dinner in the Suffolk town. Councillors are now insisting that she uses her own money for any other hotel stays in Suffolk.

Mrs Hill was backed by Geoff Dobson, the council’s head of finance, who said she had to attend early and late meetings, sometimes back-to-back, on behalf of the council.

He said: ‘In the vast majority of cases, she travels home between working days.

On three occasions in the last year, the requirements of particular meetings have meant that she has stayed in a local hotel paid for by the county council.

‘These figures demonstrate how rare an occurrence this is.’

The council’s Liberal Democrat leader Kathy Pollard said: ‘People in Suffolk, including Conservative voters, are increasingly angry and frustrated at what they see as unnecessary spending by the council at a time of cuts.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372861/Youre-jealous-Council-chief-paid-PM-blasts-critics.html#ixzz1IS5HpIcq

Edited April 3, 2011 by jfk

[ken_ichikawa]

She should put her money where her mouth is and leave to find a better or similarly paid position then.

I did it sucessfully twice (though starting from a position where I wasn't paid a fortune anyway).

[athom]

"You're just jealous!"

Needs the photo really

Edited April 3, 2011 by athom

[robo1968]

"You're just jealous!"

Needs the photo really

Just another overpaid, arrogant, self important civil servant. I'd volunteer to be the one to fire her or give her a pay cut

[JPJPJP]

how much should I charge her to advise her to keep quiet and get on with the job rather than antagonise people

[athom]

Just another overpaid, arrogant, self important civil servant. I'd volunteer to be the one to fire her or give her a pay cut

just one look at that face and you know she's forgotten all about being a public servant.

[Si1]

Mrs Hill was backed by Geoff Dobson, the council’s head of finance, who said she had to attend early and late meetings, sometimes back-to-back, on behalf of the council.

this is a requirement of the job for any management rank at any level - attending late or early meetings at your main place of work.

if she wants to stay in a hotel then she should pay for it herself, either that or move closer to work

I realise this is obvious, but it needs restating

[erranta]

how much should I charge her to advise her to keep quiet and get on with the job rather than antagonise people

She already authorised over £500,000 in Suffolk ratepayers cash to buy off/keep her Ipswich head office staff 'quiet'

So two newspaper reports

1. She lives in Cambridgeshire

2. She lives in Essex

Wish they would make their minds up!

[Si1]

just one look at that face and you know she's forgotten all about being a public servant.

+1

[erranta]

just one look at that face and you know she's forgotten all about being a public servant.

The proles are getting fed up with being pushed around by these 'winner takes all' - Cityboys/Govt bullindons/Banksters/Common Purpose overpaid local govt 'managers'

[robo1968]

The proles are getting fed up with being pushed around by these 'winner takes all' - Cityboys/Govt bullindons/Banksters/Common Purpose overpaid local govt 'managers'

Agreed. It should never have happened in the first place. There should be independent reviews at all public organisations made and cuts dictated by that, not these types who will protect themselves throughout

[aa3]

Yes the proles don't let it bother them if the prole himself is getting a pay raise each year and can buy more himself. Otoh when his wife's hours get cut and she might lose her job, and the prole's wages are frozen.. it starts bothering him as he has to cut back and is scared about his mortgage.

[erranta]

how much should I charge her to advise her to keep quiet and get on with the job rather than antagonise people

Masonic/occult triplicate JPJPJP plus ANT-agonising = Masonic Puppetry

Her hotel in Aldeburgh is where Orwell used to have a place and wrote some books.

AA Hotel

AA = Scottish Masonic flagging

plus

Orwellian (Room) "101 reviews" set up specially (for your worst nightmare)

21 Feb 2011 ... The Brudenell Hotel, Aldeburgh: See 101 reviews

[thecrashingisles]

if she wants to stay in a hotel then she should pay for it herself, either that or move closer to work

Actually I'd defend her on this point. If she's only stayed in hotels for 3 nights during a whole year it doesn't sound like she's taking the michael.

What there is no defence for is her salary which is way out of step with what she would be able to command in a true free market for people with her skills.

[billybong]

How likely is it that she takes the same attitude with lower level staff wanting to stay at hotels at taxpayer expense to make it easier and cheaper for themselves. Not likely? or maybe they're all at it.

Sounds like the US term "breakfast meeting" is just another excuse for some more expenses and a grill breakfast rather than as they like to portray it a meeting of go getters. Go get the expenses and free brekkie more like.

Edited April 3, 2011 by billybong

[Bloo Loo]

Actually I'd defend her on this point. If she's only stayed in hotels for 3 nights during a whole year it doesn't sound like she's taking the michael.

What there is no defence for is her salary which is way out of step with what she would be able to command in a true free market for people with her skills.

cambridge is next to suffolk.

so is Essex.

I can be in Ipswich in 20 minutes.

From sarfend, she could be in Ipswich in 50 minutes.

Course, it takes her an hour for the slap application, but, thats the womans choice.

[Timak]

The council she runs is seen as the prototype for a, certain type of, Tory ideology.

They are changing from a service delivering council to a service acquiring council.

This fits into the ideology that the private sector ALWAYS does thing better than the public sector.

There are of course areas where this is true, and for me these are areas where there are low barriers to entry and genuine competition, for example food and clothes provision.

Where I, and I'd venture most people of all political beliefs, do not believe private to always be better than public is where there are high barriers to entry and services have to be contracted out. Or where cost should come second to quality - within reason.

For example I don't mind a council tendering out the right to collect recycling materials if several competing companies can fight for the right to do this at a truely competitive price. However I do object to the services such as running prisons / social services / environmental health etc being contracted out. All that happens is that the minimum to meet the service level agreements is the norm and the elected officials abdicate responsibility for the quality of the services onto the suppliers.

Just as I don't want my GP to be recommending treatment depending on their own pocket rather than my health I also don't want my food hygiene inspectors being a subsidary of McDonalds or my Planning Inspectorate being a branch of Bovis.

Some things need to be done by the public sector in the interests of the public.

[erranta]

Council Chief CC=33 = Masonic puppetry/Big Brother

(33 scottish mason degrees)

She was taken on wages £70,000 more than her predecessor

7='G' which is the heart of the Masons LOGO (along with compass/square)

Ipswich are known as 'The Blues'

3rd degree mason = BLUE

"Sterling Silver 3rd Degree Masonic Blue Lodge Ring" ('SS'mark)

(Dutch) - East Indies Company (VOC)

(British) - East Indies Company

(Incorporated 1600 first GLOWBALL MONOPOLY)

EIC >> ICE = Masonic Temple 'North'

BA-'SS' Tri-angle

First ever registered 'Trade' - mark

Trades Men + "Tea" Breaks!!

GOT-CHA?

Edited April 3, 2011 by erranta

[Si1]

Actually I'd defend her on this point. If she's only stayed in hotels for 3 nights during a whole year it doesn't sound like she's taking the michael.

What there is no defence for is her salary which is way out of step with what she would be able to command in a true free market for people with her skills.

still, I have never heard of this practice at any level in any other organisation - an early morning meeting calling for accomodation on expenses.

And on timak's point - yep, there have been some awful troughing tory councils too, sign of the era we lived thru.

[Diver Dan]

Agreed. It should never have happened in the first place. There should be independent reviews at all public organisations made and cuts dictated by that, not these types who will protect themselves throughout

The problem with independent reviews is that the people who are selected to on the independent salary review boards are usually drawn from the same levels of LG management as that woman and as such would not be considered independent by any rational definition of the word.

They'll happily review downwards the salaries of the plebs who work in the libraries, schools and leisure-centres but they'll decide that top management is "worth it" to compete with the wages a "similar role in the private sector" would command.

[interestrateripoff]

this is a requirement of the job for any management rank at any level - attending late or early meetings at your main place of work.

if she wants to stay in a hotel then she should pay for it herself, either that or move closer to work

I realise this is obvious, but it needs restating

It's your choice where you live if you don't like the commute live nearer.

She's wanting to behave like a banker. This is my fiefdom and I'll do as I please.

[eightiesgirly]

She has her head very firmly up her ass doesn't she? Poor lovey.

[guitarman001]

You know I can't believe the sums of money some people get. These council workers... bankers.. on the weekend I heard that the railways managers are pushing past the £1m mark now... I mean what on Earth is going on...

[Bloo Loo]

She has her head very firmly up her ass doesn't she? Poor lovey.

takes," putting the slap on" into new realms of difficulty

[sun n sea]

Council Chief CC=33 = Masonic puppetry/Big Brother

(33 scottish mason degrees)

She was taken on wages £70,000 more than her predecessor

7='G' which is the heart of the Masons LOGO (along with compass/square)

Ipswich are known as 'The Blues'

3rd degree mason = BLUE

"Sterling Silver 3rd Degree Masonic Blue Lodge Ring" ('SS'mark)

(Dutch) - East Indies Company (VOC)

(British) - East Indies Company

(Incorporated 1600 first GLOWBALL MONOPOLY)

EIC >> ICE = Masonic Temple 'North'

BA-'SS' Tri-angle

First ever registered 'Trade' - mark

Trades Men + "Tea" Breaks!!

GOT-CHA?

My Arse Stop Occult Nonsence It's Crap