How come local councils get rid of front line staff, yet don't cut down on all the arssse sitters who?

Question

presumably don't have the same work/people to administer?
I worked in a hospital in Elgin some years ago and the admin. block was huge compared to the odd patient here and there?

Answer 1

It's the same throughout the public sector. Nurses and doctors get made redundant whilst the pen pushers multiply. The police can't do their jobs because they're too busy filling in forms or persecuting children playing hopscotch etc.
What a country.

Answer 2

A very good question, and one possible answer might surprise you, but I can assure you that it is not uncommon.

When public bodies, Town Halls in particular, are required to save money or their funding has been cut, they sometimes embark on a devious political strategy that only public bodies can get away with. They start by cutting the most sensitive services (you have referred to them as front line services) in order to get the attention of the public and the press, and thereby, to gain their sympathy, and to use this to put pressure back on to the Government. They are basically saying, "look how bad it is, we are even having to cut essential services". I am not suggesting that this is rife in the public sector generally, but it is a well practised strategy in some town halls.

This may not be what happened in the example you have cited, but, notwithstanding, public bodies are not known for their efficiency: They have no competition forcing them to improve efficiency and cut costs, they are politicised, unionised, committee led, bureaucratised and riddled with inertia. And sadly, anything free at the point of sale provides a temptation to those providing/using the service to abuse it. I know that these are not popular things to say, but we would be naive to pretend that they don't exist.

Regarding the example you have cited, I can only think of one possible explanation. Once you have set up an administration system to service front line staff, you will not be able to reduce them in direct proportion to the removal of front line staff, because presumably, the service will need to be maintained no matter how many front line staff are retained. Although, obviously, you should be able to make some reduction.This is only a guess and a big assumption on my part, I know.

Ex Financial Controller, with some public sector experience.

Answer 3

Hospitals are still cutting back. I just got my hours cut over half. They are starting to pull the old "job elimination" trick again. Get rid of the older ones who make the (ha ha ha) "Big Money", so we in administration can get our huge raise this year. Then rename the job that was eliminated and hire someone at a much lower salary. It is a continuing cycle among health administrators. I did not capitalize that title on purpose. They don't deserve it.

Answer 4

It is because the backroom guys are the ones who - if things go wrong - have all the figures to give to the most important people - the newspapers.

Bureaucracy is now endemic and its all to do with how no one must be seen to make a mistake any more. So huge amounts of paperwork are there to prove that no one ever makes mistakes.

Answer 5

This is the way government works, more managers and these because they are no use to the people have a vested interest in propping up the government. Expect more as long as the Labour party and Brussels ruin this country.

Answer 6

The administration will always look after itself that's why council tax goes up every year to pay for the ar-e sitters that are so abundant in there employ

Answer 7

Then get the elect representatives to kick them on their butts for not doing their work in planet of apes.

Answer 8

An old saying might answer this, "You can't get a pig to slaughter itself" said by some pig farmer I guess.

Answer 9

Rhetorical question, arooga arooga!. Management are clueless these days.