Are we ready for first ‘superchief’?

Published: 09 September, 2010
by RICHARD OSLEY

A UNIQUE sharing arrangement that could forever radically alter the way local affairs in north London are conducted has been revealed with Camden and Islington set to become the first large-scale authorities to share a chief executive.

With a deal handcuf­fing the two Labour-controlled Town Halls together, Moira Gibb, Camden’s current chief executive, has been made the firm favourite to be installed as the first “superchief” for both boroughs.

The ambitious strategy of linking two authorities with one top civil servant has never been tried in the United Kingdom on this scale, with nearly half-a-million residents covered by a combined map of Camden and Islington.

The plans, revealed on the New Journal’s website yesterday lunchtime, were later confirmed on both sides of the borough boundary with official press statements.

The aim behind forming such a tight bond between the two authorities is to cut management costs and pave the way for services to be shared. So-called “back office work” – shorthand for administrative jobs – will certainly be targeted for potential savings and external contracts are likely to be advertised for work across both boroughs.

A joint statement said Ms Gibb was ready to  “take the helm” of both boroughs when John Foster, her counterpart in Islington, steps down in May. 

Rather than find a replacement for a post that has been at the ­centre of angry debate in Islington because of its generous pay packet, Ms Gibb would slide into place and take charge of both boroughs.

Sceptics believe the move is the first stepping stone towards introducing a full-scale merger and were reminding Labour last night of how Ken Livingstone, when he was Mayor of London, suggested large super-boroughs should replace London’s 32 councils. That plan was largely pooh-poohed and, of course, never happened.

Although Labour is in control of both boroughs, the party is adamant that political affairs will remain separate – there will be two political group leaders – and that the full practicalities of how the new arrangement would work still needed to be fully fleshed out.

For example, officers are checking employment law to see whether Ms Gibb would need to go through a competitive process to land the new job. It was suggested that the least she should do is face an interview panel.

Camden leader Councillor Nash Ali called the move “groundbreaking”, adding: “As the scale of the cuts to public ser­vices becomes clearer it is right that we examine all of the options available to protect the frontline services our residents value.”

And Islington leader Councillor Catherine West said: “Today we have taken the first step towards a closer relationship between our boroughs. In the face of government cuts, it’s more important than ever that we save money. By working together, we have a combined purchasing power and more clout when it comes to getting better value for money in service delivery. Camden and Islington are well placed to take this bold step – we have already worked together successfully and I believe that a shared management team will bring a fresh approach.”

It is unclear whether “management team” means more roles – such as heads of departments – will also be shared.

All of the political ­parties at the Town Hall agree that some sharing was almost inevitable in the straitened economic climate but there is still concern over Labour’s handling of the arrangements.

There are fears that there was little public discussion on how a deal might be framed before yesterday’s announcement, effectively the result of private discussions held over two months. And the issue has thrown up differences of opinion from members within Lib Dem and Tory ranks.

For instance, Councillor Terry Stacy, the Lib Dem leader in Islington, is enthusiastically in favour of sharing and claimed the idea to be copied from his own suggestions.

But Councillor Keith Moffitt, the Lib Dem chief in Camden, said Ms Gibb had proven “she can juggle lots of different roles” but he was concerned about the “distraction” for a chief executive trying to deal with both boroughs.

And he warned: “For me, the local in local government is important. We have seen the new Labour council get rid of area forums where people have their say on what’s going on in their area. It’s important for people to have a voice, to have their say and the bigger the local authorities get, the more remote the council will seem to people.”

Conservative councillors were also showing signs of mild division on the issue. Less critical Tories said the agreement made sense and the timing of Mr Foster’s departure made Islington the obvious choice for a shared chief executive.

But Camden’s Conservative leader, Councillor Andrew Mennear, said: “There are questions about whether any other authority was app­roached for a deal of this nature. I think if you asked the residents of Camden who they would want to be making these kind of deals with, it is Westminster and Hammersmith and Fulham. Not Islington. 

“Camden’s services are better than Islington’s. So it makes sense for Islington, less so for Camden.”

Labour finance chief Councillor Theo Blackwell said that Islington were attractive partners because of the long borough boundaries and the existing shared interests in the regeneration of King’s Cross.

George Binette, branch secretary of Camden Unison, said it was too early to say how the developments would affect his members but warned the council that the union was watching closely how service-sharing would affect staff.

A full council report on how the shared ser­vices and chief executive will work is due “before the end of the year”.

‘All my idea!’ Cllr Stacy claims credit for move

ISLINGTON'S Lib Dem chief Councillor Terry Stacy claimed copyright for the idea of sharing a chief executive.

He said the arrangement was his brainwave and that he had suggested it to Labour leader Catherine West months ago.

And as Labour claimed they had conjured up a “groundbreaking” plan, Cllr Stacy pointed to press releases and letters in which Islington Lib Dems floated the idea.

Lib Dem finance spokesman Councillor John Gilbert said in July: “Sharing a chief executive and pooling services with other councils could bring big savings.  But Labour is silent on these big issues and is already cutting services and slashing spending by £7miilion until April 2011 alone.” 

Camden’s Labour treasurer Councillor Theo Blackwell said: “The idea of sharing services has been around but there is a difference between talking a lot and putting bold ideas into practice which is what Labour is doing in Camden and Islington.”