Daunting task lies ahead

The Voice of the North

T here are many colourful phrases in the English language which sum up certain human situations, or predicaments, with perfection: jumping from the frying pan into the fire is one.

This particular image comes to mind as Aberdeen City Council confirms that it wants Takki Sulaiman as its new PR boss – to fill a specially created new post, with an £80,000 pay packet. At a time of constant cuts, many question if the cost could have been better spent on much-needed services.

Mr Sulaiman might be leaping from one political hotbed – Tower Hamlets in London, which was recently branded a “rotten borough” – into another in the northeast. He faces a daunting task of doing something about the Labour-led council’s PR image, but the first priority for the council will be handling the immediate backlash from his appointment. Opponents dismissed it scornfully as “political cronyism”, as Mr Sulaiman is a former Labour councillor in London. Deputy council leader Marie Boulton revealed that Mr Sulaiman was the unanimous choice, but he has yet to confirm he is accepting the job.

Mrs Boulton described Aberdeen as “tough in terms of media”. We have to remember that two of the strongest attacks on the current administration came from official sources. One report said incessant political infighting at the council was dragging the city’s reputation down, while the first minister described it as a “kamikaze” council.

If Mr Sulaiman does take on this enormous challenge, he might discover that the problems start from within rather than outside.