by BILL HEANEY
West Dunbartonshire Council is to receive a new all-Scotland award for its press and public relations.
The gold award follows a thorough investigation into the council’s policies and practices and its success in competing for awards against 32 other local authorities nationwide.
The judges have examined how well the council’s administration has weathered the storm of unfavourable publicity that has followed the budget cuts it has had to make.
And how the council’s chief officers and councillors have managed to remain in post despite the worrying public reaction to the news that they have been awarded huge increases in their salaries and conditions of service, while council tax has risen exponentially during the same period.
The PR department’s way of dealing with this has been to have banned the most experienced journalist covering local government affairs in Dunbartonshire and, possibly, across Scotland, a person who has won the Scottish Weekly Journalist of the Year three times.
The Council Offices in Church Street, which have become known as the money pit.
The Chief Press Officer – it has been reported nationally that she receives a salary of £129,000 a year – is to receive the award on behalf of the Council at a reception in Cameron House Hotel, Loch Lomondside, where some council officials are said to have been treated to expensive meals, wine and golf outings by at least one contractor who carried out work for them.
The honour of presenting the award has been given to Lord Peter Mandelson, who covered himself in glory as the UK’s Ambassador to America.
The journalist in question has now been banned for five years ad infinitum for allegedly interrupting a meeting to ask the then Provost to have the sound turned up and a press bench provided, from which it would be possible for reporters to identify who is saying the almost impossible to hear words of wisdom.
It is believed the “hang ’em, birch ’em, boil ’em in oil” brigade in the HR department was too busy bullying council employees, one of whom was awarded a large sum of money in compensation for this because he was victimised by their HR team.
He still has not received a full settlement, which is typical but disgraceful.
Specsavers and their new Audio Department are said to be interested in carrying out improvements, although in the interim, the journalists – especially the old one who causes the spin doctors such pain – are equipped with ear trumpets.
The generous Health and Social Care Partnership, who have been so sympathetic (not) to the women who work in the department which looks after elderly, infirm and disabled people in their own homes and have had their pay and work schedules altered to their detriment are said to be looking into the matter.
This is being treated as a joke by the carers and a large number of council taxpayers who demonstrate regularly, blowing whistles and waving flags outside the Council Offices in the old Burgh Hall (it cost £16 million to refurbish it to accommodate council employees before most of them decided to work from home).
And little wonder, since this piece was created as a joke to appear in The Democrat on April Fools’ Day.
Council keeps us all behind the times
Has anyone had a look at the Town Clock on Riverside Parish Church in the past few days? Even though the clock is just across the road in Church Place, it’s still behind the times. Nobody bothered to move it one hour forward on Sunday night. It may no longer be West Dunbartonshire Council’s responsibility to keep residents of Dumbarton informed of bus, train, and church service times. Still, the silent people in the Communications Department seem to like it that way. Times change, of course. It used to be a man called Ben McGuire who was in charge of making certain we all had the right time here. I know that because I once wondered if he was known in the office as Big Ben McGuire.- Top of page: A laden table in the fine dining section at Cameron House Hotel, Loch Lomond. Wine and champagne bottles to follow. And receipts, of course.