Richard Stevens

Ian Thompson was appointed Chief Executive of Stafford Borough Council at last night’s Borough Council meeting after a heated and controversial debate. On a named vote his appointment was approved solely on the votes of the ruling Tory group whilst every Labour, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillor voted against the appointment.

In the course of the debate, an amendment proposed by Barry Stamp, leader of the Liberal Democrat group and seconded by me, to reinstate the Selection Procedure, abandoned a couple of weeks ago, was defeated by the Tory group. A vote of no confidence in the Cabinet Leader, Cllr. Judith Dalgarno, was also defeated. However, the Tories will be under no illusions after this debate. The opposition parties are united in their condemnation of the manner of this appointment.

I, personally,  am appalled at the manner of this appointment and by the arrogance of the Tory cabinet and its leader. That a democratic selection procedure should be halted in its tracks and an in-house appointment be proposed without reference to Appointments Panel or the Group Leaders is a staggering abuse of the ruling party’s majority.

Stafford Borough Council will now be led by a Chief Executive whose selection was determined by the Tory group primarily on the cost savings involved. We shall never know what talent existed in the short listed candidates we never interviewed so we will never know whether the new Chief Executive was the best man for the job. I fear this selection has done Stafford Borough Councils reputation considerable harm and I worry that Mr Thompson’s tenure  has been made all the more difficult by the fiasco of his appointment.