‘Novel’ OIC chief exec rota could ‘create more trouble’, says expert

Interim staffing arrangements at the top of Orkney Islands Council (OIC) “could create more trouble than it could possibly be worth,” according to an expert in public service management.

Emeritus Professor Richard Kerley has been left “bemused” by the local authority’s plans to have senior officials share the duties of the chief executive on a monthly rotational basis.

The measures were put in place after the shock announcement in May that Oliver Reid was on a period of “special leave,” with no date given for his return.

“I think it has to be something that is certainly novel,” said Professor Kerley, who worked with OIC on the 2013 Our Islands, Our Future initiative.

Meanwhile, a former senior figure at OIC has told the newspaper they are confident that the temporary leadership plans will work.

The “interim acting up arrangements” involve OIC’s four corporate directors taking on the authority’s most senior job a month at a time “for as long as required”. Currently, education, communities and housing director James Wylie is leading the authority.

Since the 24-word statement was issued by OIC on Monday, May 25, there has been a deafening silence from School Place on Mr Reid’s absence, the interim arrangements put in place, how they will work in practice and the impact on the authority’s more than 2,000-workforce.

Leader of OIC, Councillor Heather Woodbridge, refused a request for an interview with The Orcadian, and deputy leader, Councillor Sandy Cowie, did not respond to the same email from the newspaper.

A request for written responses to questions on the current situation affecting the top of the local authority was also declined by Councillor Woodbridge, who repeated the May 25 statement and told the newspaper she had “no further comment on this matter.”

BBC Radio Orkney has also reported that its request for an interview on the sudden absence of the authority’s most senior official was declined.

The Orcadian was again told that a decision seems to have been taken not to tell elected councillors of the reasons behind Mr Reid’s leave.

There has been no further comment from the council leader or OIC itself about why this has been done.

Neither has there been any response after the newspaper was told, three weeks ago, that an investigation was to take place.

When asked whether an investigation was indeed to take place, and why it would not be able to confirm whether an investigation was under way, the authority told the newspaper it had nothing further to add.

One OIC insider told The Orcadian they were unable to say what was going on at the top of organisation.

“It is up to the council leadership to say whatever it is they know and whatever it is they are planning to do,” the insider added.

As for the interim arrangements, the insider said it was “far too early” to say how this was working out.

But Professor Kerley, of Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, doubted OIC’s interim arrangements could be a success.

He said: “I have looked. I can’t find an instance of rotating interim chief executives in this way and the more I think of it, the more difficult I think it is to put it into effect.”

The professor believes the rotational basis could create continuity problems for the work of the authority, and other challenges as well.

“What if, in the first cycle, people don’t like what Person C does? Are you going to drop him or her out of the cycle?,” he said.

The professor added: “It seems like it could create more trouble than it could possibly be worth.”

Professor Kerley said that one alternative could be to have a single deputy chief executive, possibly an interim position holder, to cover for a set period of time.

Others have been more optimistic about the temporary leadership measures. A former senior figure at OIC said they were confident the interim arrangements can work, adding that the key question is how long it will last.

The Orcadian asked the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) if it had been informed or involved in the way OIC has handled Mr Reid’s leave and the acting up arrangements.

The organisation, which is the national association of councils, responded that this was a local issue and that COSLA has “no formal role in these matters.”

Those who have spoken to The Orcadian have expressed their surprise at the sudden news about Mr Reid’s absence from School Place.