More consultants at Somerset Council
Once again Somerset Council is preparing to fork out money that it keeps telling us it is short of, to pay for consultants to tell them what to do.
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Andrew Lee - editor
When it comes to assessing and evaluating pay, grading and roles within Somerset Council, their Director of HR, Dawn Betteridge is perhaps as well placed as anyone to know how not to do things and hence, how to do them properly.
Through no fault of her own, Ms Betteridge was appointed at a rate in excess of the council’s own recommended pay for the role, without a competitive process being used and with the salary justified by benchmarking against NHS staff rather than equivalent council staff (you can read more about that here).
Somerset Council are keen to point out that the process was transparent and taken by elected members. Which is also true.
Ms Betteridge has lots of experience of HR work indeed she was hired for her expertise. She has had senior HR roles at a number of councils including Birmingham City Council. Cornwall Council, Plymouth City Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
So it is disappointing to learn that the council has agreed to spend £3m on hiring consultants to do the work. The decision was taken by elected members and went through Scrutiny Committee too.
This is not the first time that Somerset Council have called in the consultants. You can read more about the previous exercise when Newton were called in to take a look at Adult Social Care here (Spot the savings).