Private meeting over School Place ‘staffing matters’
Orkney Islands Council (OIC) is remaining tight-lipped on the nature of discussions around governance at the local authority.
This follows an item heard behind closed doors on Tuesday during the authority’s general meeting, which discussed leadership arrangements at School Place.
It comes one month after the sudden absence of the authority’s chief executive, Oliver Reid.
The agenda for the general meeting of the council simply described the matter under discussion as “governance arrangements,” with a report to follow from the deputising chief executive.
Officials wanted to hold the discussion in private. They cited legislation which allows OIC to exclude the public if they are discussing an individual staff member or office-holder.
Chairman of the meeting convener Graham Bevan moved to discuss the item in private because the information was in relation to “staffing matters.” He was seconded by leader of OIC, Councillor Heather Woodbridge.
Ahead of the meeting, The Orcadian asked OIC what was to be discussed, and for an update on any decisions that might be made.
“This is a private item which we cannot comment on further at this time,” a spokesman for OIC said, adding that they had no further comment to make after Tuesday’s meeting either.
The Orcadian understands that discussions were set to take place at OIC about the interim “acting up” arrangements which are in place.
The temporary measures involve the four corporate directors taking it in turns — one month at a time — to be chief executive, as they cover for Mr Reid’s unspecified period of absence.
It was on Monday, May 25, that the shock announcement was made by the authority that its chief executive was on “special leave.” The news came as a surprise to everyone who has spoken to The Orcadian.
OIC is yet to provide any further information after the newspaper was told, a month ago, that an investigation was to take place.
A decision has been taken not to tell Orkney’s elected councillors about the reasons for the chief executive’s leave.
Councillors appear to have been told they can’t be given the detail at this moment in time, The Orcadian has learned.
The newspaper understands this is because there is a chance they might be asked to sit on a panel to make a decision about the leadership situation. The less they know ahead of this the better, to ensure their impartiality.
There has been some disquiet at School Place over elected councillors being kept in the dark as to the circumstances surrounding Mr Reid’s special leave.
They aren’t the only ones with questions about how the situation at the top of the authority has been handled.
Last month, an emeritus professor of public service management, Richard Kerley, told The Orcadian about his doubts concerning the interim leadership managers.
The academic from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh thought it could “create more trouble than it could possibly be worth.”
Professor Kerley told the newspaper he thought one alternative would be having a single deputising chief executive, rather than a monthly rotation of four directors.
However, a former senior figure at School Place told the newspaper they were confident the interim arrangements can work, adding that the key question is how long it will last.