Three month stint in new job for council chief Kim Ryley
Departing Shropshire Council boss Kim Ryley, who left the authority this week after less than three years in charge, will serve just three months in his new job, it was revealed today.
Departing Shropshire Council boss Kim Ryley, who left the authority this week after less than three years in charge, will serve just three months in his new job, it was revealed today.
The former chief executive is moving to Cheshire East on a secondment.
His position starts on August 13 and will run until the end of November.
But council sources have made it clear that Mr Ryley, who earned £180,000 a year, will not be returning to Shropshire Council when his contract expires.
Shropshire Labour group leader Alan Mosley has demanded an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Mr Ryley’s departure.
He said: “If there have been problems with Kim Ryley’s performance then why haven’t they been resolved without the current chaotic results?
“If there are no problems then why has he been allowed to go before finishing the job?”
Nigel Hartin, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, called for the authority’s scrutiny committee to meet to ‘get to the bottom of what on earth has gone wrong’.
There are no plans to replace Mr Ryley, and Councillor Keith Barrow, the leader of the authority, has stepped in to chair top level meetings.
Unions have also raised questions about Mr Ryley’s departure.
Comments for: "Three month stint in new job for council chief Kim Ryley"
Brian Thompsom
If the leader of the authority is not informing his councillors what is happening what hope has joe public got of getting to know anything. Smacks of things to hide to me.
No doubt the leader is basking in his new role as leader/CE "oh what power he must have now".
Needs to be a big inquiry into all the goings on at Shirehall.
Alan Mosley
Rumours about factors behind Kim Ryleys departure, which I don't intend to comment upon, have been circulating for weeks.
Yes, we do need a proper inquiry asap.
However, let's not forget that Ryley was only carrying out the policies determined by Keith Barrow and his Tory cronies: Massive cuts to jobs, services, other resources, pay and conditions for staff. Plus a strike, a slump in morale and the formation of a limited company to potentialy privatise remaining services.
Ryley goes with a sense of choas around the Council and among Shropshire residents. 'Spin' rules but I hope all can get a glimpse of the inadequacies of the current Administration.
Jeepers
The trouble is, Mr Mosely that - such is the cynicism with which politics is now regarded by much of the population (both nationally and locally) - I would imagine a lot of people think that you and your party would be just as bad.
I don't mean to be critical, but what would YOU do to make savings and/or maintain services?
Spend, spend, spend in the name of the Lord and wait until central government send in a hit squad to run the county for you? Or keep raising council tax which people already struggle to pay and then supplement it with increased parking charges and stealth taxes like trying to charge for emptying bins or something?
I don't especially like the way the county is being run and the way news is being 'managed'. But are you telling us it would be different under Labour?
Save it, sir. We've heard it all before.
interested
Alan - the fact that there are rumours says it all. If staff and public were kept informed then rumours wouldn't start. So... was Ryley pushed out, or was he not performing? (He didn't just ask to be seconded as he left the building without saying goodbye). Unless we are informed, rumours will continue. This then leads to the next rumour... was Ryley the bad egg, or is it Barrow? We can find out now that one has gone. If Mr Barrow is the good egg, then now is his chance to show it and stop or reverse a lot of the changes that have started and come clean. On the other hand if things plough on in the same disasterous direction, then we can draw assumptions about the rumours!
HM
The Tories and Labour are just as bad as each other- both nationally and locally.
The only difference is the colour of their rosettes.
eva land
What now as council chief moves on?
We were not given an opportunity to comment on this carefully constructed article.
It says:
[It goes without saying that Mr Ryley has been a key figure in shaping the personality and outlook of this council. His appointment was announced in July 2009. The council itself only dates from April 2009.
Together with Councillor Barrow, he has steered it through its crucial early years.]
Thanks to departing SABC for spending over 32 million on a theatre which continues to have to be subsidised by us.
We could have had a fantastic theatre, even one of a decent size to attract better performers for a third of that amount had the theatre been located more wisely, designed by an architect and the project managed under more scrutiny. But no that money from the sale of council housing had to be spent for us as quickly as possible before unitary began.
Now yet further of OUR assets are to be sold, the council has lost so many staff we do NOT get the service we pay for and another dubious set up to run the council is apparently going being put in place.
Jelly
The leader article is very gushing in its praise of Keith Barrow, the Star seems to have taken a liking to him for some reason. They should be asking why one politician is taking some much power into his own hands - political leader, chief exec and chairman of the private company they are setting up - and aski what qualifications and experience in taking all those roles and how transparency about council decisions is delivered.
Jeepers
Yes, there has been quite a shift in the attitude of the Star with regards to matters concerning the council of late.
I found some of the wording in that Leader (which, tellingly perhaps, did not have any space for readers comments!) remarkable for a paper which claims to be 'independent'.
'Consumate council leader Keith Barrow' 'Innovative and imaginative'...superlatives abound!
I do hope the Star's Leader articles comment on some of the developments at Shirehall with a little more objectivity and balance in future. A little dose of healthy scepticism might be beneficial for readers and taxpayers. The recent editorial shift is noticeable and a little disturbing. Watch it please!
Jelly
Are they in the running to set up the joint venture for print services in the councils private sector company do you think?
steve
EVA LAND sounds like you are mr ryley in discuse
salopian-sparky
I think the council will manage quite well without him.
They will also have at least £180,000 to spend on more important things.
philip clayton-smith
well i'm sure there are people who have had to move jobs within the council, and take a pay cut.
its seems rediculous that a high earner is leaving and no reson as to why,
has he become an embarressment to the company.
ph7
I will ask the question again, the question the Star should be asking.
What qualifications and experience does Keith Barrow have to act as proxy chief executive and is their not a perceived conflict of interest between being Council Leader, Proxy Chief Executive and head of the new contracting company?
Brian Thompson
I agree there must be a conflict of interest here.
Why council members are letting this happen is beyond belief,the council is floundering all around you and the workforce don't know from one day to the next if the next press release will inform them they are without jobs.
It's difficult to believe that they are planning to set up a private company to run council services when they have made such a mess of running the council.
Who next for the axe, anyone who doesn't agree with the leader I presume. We will wait for the next press release
ph7
This has been the situation since the appointment of Mr Ryley. Anyone who disagreed with his views or methods, or even asked pertinant questions about service delivery has been given the black spot. There is very much an atmosphere of do as I say or get out.
I believe this is the second Chief Executive on the trot who have jumped ship when the going got tough, after all Carolyn Downs left halfway through the local government reorganisation process. There is clearly something incredibly wrong at the upper levels of Shropshire Council.
Mike
Totally agree this needs investigating if he gets voted out next term he will still have his feet under the table.
steve
£180,000 A YEAR..... what a complete and utter JOKE. thats all i have to say on that matter....
June
Interesting too that Keith Barrow in his Declaration of Interests states that he is also a Director of a Property Development and Real Estate Company Peakfast Ltd. Should he be involved in policy and planning decisions which could personally benefit him, in the future if not now???? A further conflict of interest?
quote
Key Message to staff from Kim Ryley in December 2011
"Being part of the new Council, and being directly involved in its creation, will be exciting and rewarding - but only those who are willing and able to make the change will prosper."
"We want to retain the skills and experience of committed staff. But, the key to personal success at work will be displaying the attitude and behaviour which show that you share the values and aspirations of the new Council. Support and training will be given to those who want to stay with us on these terms, so that we can complete the journey we have started. But, those who do not want to accept this new deal for staff should think about whether they would be happier working elsewhere."
...obviously didn't apply to himself then...?
NotAShock
Interesting how the council's own newsroom seems to have tiptoed delicately around this news... http://shropshire.gov.uk/news/2012/07/councils-share-experience-to-give-residents-better-services/
At no point does it explicitly mention Kim Ryley "leaving" nor does it even comment that he will not return, leaving those details to be inferred from his & Keith Barrow's quotes.
As for the title of that article, well, there is a perfect example of spin!
We are all paying for this!
As a member of the community I am very concerned about how the Council appears to be being run in in such an autocratic style by the Council Leader.
There's no doubt that changes need to take place in the current economic climate. However, the rapid timetable for change, formation of a new company, etc., seems to be more about getting things done quickly before the next local election than ensuring the community services are maintained effectively.
It can't be healthy for one individual to head the Cabinet, management team and new company.
Whilst there have been calls for Council scrutiny of the recent events, I think it needs a more serious review urgently from an external independent body. Who can review these type of things and how do you go about registering a concern?
If the Council were a school it would be on 'special measures'!
Katowice
Completely agree. There should be an open and full enquiry into the events leading to Mt Ryleys departure as there is a real conflict of interests here with the Leader acting as CEexec. I as a resident won,t be voting for him next time round. Barrow should go now.
Roger
This a matter of governance. For democracy to operate properly there must be a balance between the executive, the ruling party and the oppersition. Checks and balances are essential.
Politicians tend to move only to satify their dogma which may not be legal. The exective need to tell them the fact's figures and law surrounding the options and the oppersition need to publicly debate the otherside of the option.
In this case we have a polition taking the role of the executive without informing the oppersition. If it is not illegal it should be. The proposals for wholesale privatisation of council services through the back door without a tendering process seems to me to be in conflict with the political process and European law. Is Mr Barrow conversant with the law surrounding his proposals or does political dogma over rule the law? Where is the Chief Executive to advise him? Why will the chief executive not be replaced? is this a permenant departure from the process of operating a council? Too many questions - no answers. We are entitled to answers, we are paying the bills.
Michael Wilkinson
I wonder just how many of you that complain have ever been to a council meeting or written to you councillor about anything .
In my experience few people ever do.