What was in the "strictly confidential" report on Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority that cost over £14,000?

What was in the “strictly confidential” report on Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority that cost over £14000?

What was in the “strictly confidential” report on Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority that cost over £14,000?

                                         

Last year Merseyside Waste and Recycling Authority paid Paver Smith (a PR agency which has since changed its name to Influential) £11,700 + VAT for 18 days work (at a rate of £650 + VAT) for an internal and external communications review. You can see the invoice for that work below.

Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority invoice Paver Smith
Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority invoice Paver Smith

The internal communication review involved ‘discovery’ sessions with MRWA staff, an online questionnaire and focus groups. Below is the internal communications bit of the report (with my comments under each page).

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 1
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 1

This is just the cover page for the report.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 2
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 2

This report is “strictly confidential”. Why do I know this? Why I know because this page tells me so in red letters.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 3
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 3

This is a contents page.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 4
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 4

A whole page on “introductory remarks” that contains a lot of phrases such as:

“employees and management must communicate in order for an organisation to function effectively”,
“there is real value in staff being clear on and understanding the forward mission and objectives of MWRA” and “Staff also carry an organisation’s brand out to the market, with clients, stakeholders and the public. Having them “on message” and carrying a unified and coordinated message can have great benefits”.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 5
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 5

This page deals with “Objectives and methodology” including this section on confidentiality:

  • It is crucial to the process on an internal communications review that all feedback is supplied in strictest confidence and handled with great care.
  • For the results to be helpful for an organisation feedback needs to be given openly and without concern.
  • Therefore all focus group interviews were undertaken in the strictest confidence under Chatham House rules with no attributing of specific statements to individuals.
  • The internal survey was structured also in a way to preserve anonymity.
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 6
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 6

This next page goes into detail about the three focus groups (Executive Management Team, Senior Management Team and Authority officers).

One of the more interesting comments on this page is “A common theme raised by all was the concern that MRWA had a “silo” culture where individual teams largely operated independently from each other and as a result there was little cross fertilisation or understanding what each team was working on/ looking to achieve.”

A comment like that probably makes you think that Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority is a large organisation with lots of staff, however the staff structure on their website shows they have only about three dozen staff.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 7
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 7

This page has the rather telling comment at the top (EMT stands for Executive Management Team) “There was a staff perception that the EMT didn’t wish to engage in two way communication and discussion.” followed by “All expressed a concern that the intranet was used passively to disseminate information that staff were then assumed to seek out, but that active use of the intranet was however very low.”

Then it moves on to themes from the Executive Management Team focus group. Here are some quotes from that focus group:

“Concern was express that some of the staff had unrealistic expectations as to what they should be communicated to about.”

and

“The intranet was raised as a tool that wasn’t effective and not proactively used to access information.”

The senior management focus group also commented on the intranet and the silo culture.

“It was felt by some that too much reliance was placed on people proactively seeking out information on the intranet and that generally people didn’t do this. “

“A major concern for this group was what was described as a “silo” culture in MRWA with individual teams and functions working in isolation from each other and not enough interaction nor understanding of each other’s objectives, activity, challenges and successes. “

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 8
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 8

The staff focus group found internal communications was “poor”, apart from HR related matters. This focus group also felt “that generally the quality of management communication was poor and that there was a lack of interest (from the organisation) in seeking and listening to staff’s views and ideas.”.

Also commented on by the staff focus group was that this had led to a “‘what’s the point’ culture with some staff and a sense of negativity and scepticism”. The staff group expressed a “strong desire that the outcomes from the internal communications review should be shared”.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 9
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 9

This page deals with the results of the questionnaire, there’s a pretty even split between people who think internal communications are poor and those that think it is satisfactory.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 10
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 10

This is another page going into the results of the survey and has the line “Good internal communications are seen generally by staff as of crucial importance to their sense of satisfaction and general wellbeing an an employee.”

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 11
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 11

This page details the results to the question “How important do you think internal communication is?”.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 12
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 12

This page is about the frequency of internal communications and information that people should receive monthly.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 13
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 13

This page is about the frequency of internal communications and information that people should receive quarterly or bi-annually.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 14
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 14

This page is about the quality of internal communication.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 15
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 15

This page is about satisfaction with the quality of internal communication and how it happens.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 17
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 16

This page deals with improving internal communications.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 18
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 17

This page deals with verbatim comments on how to improve internal communications.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 19
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 18

This page states expands on the heading “treat all equal” which is clarified as meaning “Reduce the secret meetings and promote total inclusion”.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 20
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 19

This page starts the recommendations, the first four are for the Executive Management Team (abbreviated to EMT).

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 21
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 20

This page has two more general recommendations on content of internal communications.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 22
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 21

This page has recommendations on the channel used for communication.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 23
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 22

This page suggests that positive external PR news should be circulated internally to staff.

Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 24
Paver Smith report on internal communications to Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority page 23

Finally, in the concluding remarks and next steps it recommends that the reports findings and recommendations are presented to the Executive Management Team and to the wider management and staff cohort.

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Author: John Brace

New media journalist from Birkenhead, England who writes about Wirral Council. Published and promoted by John Brace, 134 Boundary Road, Bidston, CH43 7PH. Printed by UK Webhosting Ltd t/a Tsohost, 113-114 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, England, SL1 4PF.

6 thoughts on “What was in the "strictly confidential" report on Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority that cost over £14,000?”

  1. Mr Brace, , This report reminds me of a Confidential Meeting held by Rick O’Brien in relation to the Vulnerable of Wirral, several junior and middle Management were present at that meeting and as Mr G say’s KEEP YOUR MOUTH’S SHUT or is that Lets keep it to ourselves for now and right across the page is CONFIDENTIAL. (2008). I have a Copy of these Documents. It is also not unlike what Mr Morton and the others have previously reported.

    I am quite surprised that over the years, this has been allowed to go on by successive Governments and that some many people seemed to have been successful in not only penetrating Local Government, but in impregnating it with so much Corruption and a belief that MONEY talks and will clear away any ailments or scatty pests, if the price they offer you is reasonable enough.

    Unfortunately for these SCUMBAGS and I am quite clear in my Description money does not always talk and NO PRICE is worth paying for your Integrity and Leaving your Vulnerable ones to the likes of these people, so as they can earn a Few Bob more, because thats all it is, once the higher up the chain get you by the short and curly ones. You are hooked and they keep you on a string and make you do whatever they want, when they want you to do it.

    I find it hard, although very humbled by the action of these people to understand why people do what they are bid do, for a few bob more. I am aware of other ways to bring people down to their level, as they are still trying as stated with leftovers to bring me down and unfortunately these people will also go by the wayside and it is a Shame.

    People like Davies and others have a lot to answer for when their day comes and if the Law does not get them. The Lord will. Bring in the Police and Administration, before the situation gets out of Hand!!!!!!

  2. G’day John

    Talking about The Wirral Waste Authority that is of course “Ecca’s Clowncil”.

    I was thinking today about the person that stabbed my mate “Highbrow” in the back after pretending to be a friend Boyo.

    Does “The Kitchen Cabinet” just use him to stab externals in the back after pretending to be a good guy?

    Or, say for example Dave Garry who wrote a croc of shit of a report about Wirral “Funny” Bizz and then got paid off handsomely with £40,000.00 plus.

    Would “The Kitchen Cabinet” get the scruffy little arse of a welshman with a sleeping sickness to stab him in the back after his shit essay or would they bring in an outsider like the auditor with the alphabet after his name that came and went to destroy their once friend and colleague?

    On reflection John I think it would have been that auditor that Gra Gra courted and feted at that ridiculous public Improvement Board meeting were “Phil the Dill” and Adderley did a runner when Martin Morton got up to speak.

    Ooroo

    James

    Ps Just my thoughts for today I feel, not sorry, for Garry he was probably only obeying orders and he was well and truly shafted by his once mates.

    Never turn your back on little fat welshman in Wallasey John even if he looks like he’s asleep.

  3. G’day john

    Very disappointed this morning the usual photo of the Chamber Potty isn’t in the “Funny” Business section in the rubbish paper from over Kev and Stella’s Stagnant Wirral Waters.

    I like to send it off to the Antipodes to the grand kids to show that even average looking smiling bleached blondes who probably have kids cannot necessarily be trusted.

    Ooroo

    James

    The morals and ethics of a ———

  4. G’day john

    When are these deluded fools, like Adderley and “Phil the Dill”, going to get off their high horses and do some work instead of paying their high flying mates big money to produce nothing.

    Pie in the sky golf resorts and futile trips abroad and this in the local rubbish propaganda sheet

    The chips are down as New Brighton casino closes its doors

    Surprise surprise the muppet of a clowncillor from New Brighton got Wirral “Funny” Bizz to get their unqualified staff to prepare at least two if not three business plans for the little community centre with no customers that were a load of Tosh.

    Talking of Tosh has “Crabapple been allowed off the naughty step on “The Stairway to Hell” that Gra GRa built.

    Possibly his greatest erection.

    Ooroo

    James

    Where is this years junket John?

    What’s her name has just turned up in time to go with them I presume.

    Don’t bother telling me her name John she will just soon hit them like that fraudster and vanish to some other Clowncil to some other dodgy CEO she has worked with before.

  5. G’day John

    I was thinking again about how they operate and I think that woman Dregg was saying some shit about criticise her work but not her because she is human and she has children.

    No no no you only do what you want to do and like Wirral Labor would sell their souls and probably their mothers.

    And should be held to account.

    Getting back the the welsh leprechaun he knows exactly what he is doing but on more reflection would only shit on externals because he would be too cowardly to do someone over he knew.

    What a little scumbag.

    I would expect it was Adderley and Lambert did for Garry after Adderley probably told him to write that dodgy report or at least passed it fit for purpose.

    The purpose of course not letting “Highbrow” and myself win.

    Trust me John we have won.

    They have to live with their lies, deceit and cheating.

    Ooroo

    James

    There poor mothers and children their spouses had an option and should have known better.

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