Thank you, Mr Mayor,  

This Council currently has a host of vacancies to fill at the senior and management level.

Over the last few years there has been an alarming level of turnover in the senior positions.

There has also been a number of key people leave or in the process of leaving as they approach retirement.

This puts Oldham Council and Oldham in a precarious position.  

This crisis of senior leadership retention is bad for continuity at the top… it also effects the delivery of frontline services and the performance of staff at every level, and across every department.

It also creates a disconnect or no connect, between senior officers and elected members of this Council.

At the induction event held for new members after the local elections, none of the senior executive team were present as promised.  Not one.  And no alternative has been put in place or even suggested to my knowledge. 

The relationship starts off on the wrong foot… and then it gets worse.  Because the turnover in the top jobs creates unstable working practices.

There are meetings which change times and dates with no rhyme or reason given.  Staff do not know who their line mangers are and are not being developed, supported, and managed as they should be.

We talk about staff being our biggest asset the reality is very, very different.

This is a cultural problem that we must get to grips with, it is residents who suffer from a Council which is constantly at odds with itself and fails to function to its best ability.

So, my question is this…. what is the Administration going to do about retention and recruitment for senior officers and in fact all staff?  

And will they also commit to collaborating with elected members right across this chamber to ensure that we foster the right relationship between officers and elected members, for the benefit of the people we are here to serve?