Crash test dummies………….
24-02-10
As if Sandwell is bad enough, Birmingham (or at least parts of it) is an accident waiting to happen. Community Care also pointed to this article in the Birmingham Post: http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2010/02/24/birmingham-mother-and-children-found-hanged-were-known-to-social-services-65233-25899633/
A friend of Wilt once did some interim management in Birmingham and said he felt utterly unsafe and deskilled simply because of the impossibility to manage the vast workload. He came across some excellent workers there and was amazed at their dedication and resilience under what were really impossible demands.
Managers are quite used to “fighting fires” (metaphorically speaking) and revising priorities of workload throughout the working day (or week if they are lucky), but tackling outbreaks of fire combined with a force 9 gale, earthquake and a volcano erupting has a tendency to drive one a bit scatty. Rather than go scatty he, only having been begged not to, decided he would take up an easier living of being a car crash test dummy!
Like the GSCC and their ilk, Birmingham City Council needs to be dismantled and very carefully put back together – in its present state (and size) it is simply unmanageable.
And the good people of Brum (not that I visit the city unless forced) deserve a more coherent and fit for purpose conglomerate of smaller fiefdoms.
Until such time there will be more stories of disaster and more crash test dummies!
Wilt