Standards Committee 29/9/2011 Part 4

Cllr Chris Blakeley said that when Bill Norman joined Wirral Council he was aware of the resources, that he uses as an excuse. He said that Bill Norman says we should adopt the protocol, so that they can be held to account. There had been “poor performance” and “no improvement” for years. Cllr Pat Williams … Continue reading “Standards Committee 29/9/2011 Part 4”

Cllr Chris Blakeley said that when Bill Norman joined Wirral Council he was aware of the resources, that he uses as an excuse. He said that Bill Norman says we should adopt the protocol, so that they can be held to account. There had been “poor performance” and “no improvement” for years.

Cllr Pat Williams asked Bill Norman if he would like to respond.

Bill Norman said he was aware of the resource deficiencies that he should report, however there was the current financial climate. It was a judgement about prioritisation, this had not received adequate prioritisation and there was no clear performance standard. If there was he would make sure it was adhered to.

Cllr Bob Wilkins asked how the new way was different to the past?

Bill Norman said what he presented in January had not been approved. There were timescales and further paragraphs. All complaints should be dealt with within 6 months, if they weren’t the chair and spokespersons would be informed of likely timescales. Other stuff would have to be dealt with less quickly, if this was prioritised to a greater degree.

Cllr Pat Williams said she shared her colleague’s views that they should’ve been told before and made aware of any problems. She said it was extremely important and serious. She said it was difficult if there was a long period between the complaint being made and being recorded accurately as we’re “not all blessed with wonderful memories”. She said “views can change after the event” and it was “very difficult to prove”. She said it was hard for the person making the allegation who had a vested interest in exaggerating. She said they all know it will improve, but it would be helpful if the spokespersons were kept aware.

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