Asking wrong questions over council staff levels

IN response to the proposed increase in taxation to pay for additional services for the elderly, no doubt the call from residents will be for the Directorate of Kirklees to review staffing levels throughout.

That has been done on numerous occasions and the answer from managers and unions would be ‘we have had cutbacks and work hard.’

I am sure that they do, achieving targets set etc, but if all staff were asked “not what do you do” but “why do you do it” and to all managers the additional question “what added value do you provide?”

Interesting questions with the objective of maintaining the frontline staffing base and leaving managers to lead their teams. If this were done the residents would at least have confidence in that the monies raised would go to frontline services. MY wife and myself served most of our professional life in the Department of Music at Huddersfield University.

When we were married in 1964, a friend, an ex-piano teacher of mine, rang to say she had a guest, Mrs Ismena Holland, staying with her and would we mind if she came with them. Naturally we said that would be fine.

At the reception, another of our guests, the late Nancy Blackburn (at that time Head of Hotel and Catering and later godmother to our son, William), during a conversation with Mrs Holland discovered that not only was she godmother to Jacqueline du Pre, the famous cellist, but granddaughter of Frederic Schumann, the founder of the college.

Nancy whisked her away to meet Dr WE Scott, then head