by Paul Scully | Aug 1, 2014 | News |
My business partner placed an advert for a Personal Assistant last week. We work with companies advising them on their community engagement and working with local groups. In order to practice what we preach, we wanted to give every chance for someone local to get the job and so included the Croydon job centre (our office is on Croydon High Street). We didn’t expect a response to one of our requirements (Language restrictions: Excellent command of English language both written and verbal), which included the following:
You should consider including the answers to the relevant questions below in your Assurance Statement, making clear the reasons why you want to claim an exception to the Equality Act:
o Why do you need a person to speak a particular language?
o In what way could the duties of the current staff be reorganised to enable the new post to be filled by someone who does not need to speak this particular language If this is not possible please state why.
o How many staff work at this establishment
o How many staff speak only this language?
o Include any other relevant information that may help us understand why you want to claim this exception
We had a number of questions like this to complete with a helpful reminder that it is an offence to provide a false statement.
My colleague’s response asking for the advert to be withdrawn:
Thank you for your email which I have read with some surprise and astonishment.
As you will understand, the role of a Personal Assistant is to make my life easier. Your email to me has requested certain information for the sake of having irrelevant information. I am astounded at your questioning and request of justification of why a communications agency, based in the UK, would demand an excellent command of the English language from its staff. I also do not understand why you would ask for a hierarchy, a basic search of my company’s website will show you that I run a small business with a relatively flat structure.
I decided to specifically advertise on the DWP website rather than through a specific recruitment agency so that the widest segment of the public would be able to access what I consider to be a great entry level job which will kick-start a career for someone who wants to do well in life. Your email has meant that with a heavy heart, I would like to withdraw my job advertisement from your department’s website forthwith as I will find alternative means to recruit. I would hold you and your team responsible for actively hindering the job prospects of a member of my local community. My business planning would have meant that the successful candidate would have been employed by my company for the foreseeable future with long term job prospects.
I set up this business at 25 years of age and have seen it through a recession. This is the first time I have advertised publicly to recruit a future member of my team. My experience of your bureaucracy and red-tape means unless I receive a response which puts my mind at rest, that I will never attempt to recruit through your website again or recommend that any other business does so.
I look forward to receiving from you, a direct response.
Yours in disappointment,
Needless to say we haven’t heard back. This government has done a fantastic job in the most difficult economic conditions to tackle the problem of youth unemployment. Last year’s fall of 133,700 young people claiming JSA was the biggest since 1997. I also understand the need to ensure that everyone gets opportunities to get along. However a cut and paste email that fails to appreciate that the Personal Assistant to the Managing Partner of a communications company trading in the UK clearly needs an excellent command of English will only hamper efforts to get more people into work. We need a Personal Assistant because work is incredibly hectic and my Partner in particular needs his life made easier. His solution for making it easier was to eliminate the bureaucracy of the job centre himself and look at the job applications that are coming in thick and fast from the other websites that we’ve used. Sorry if that offends, but that’s real life for everyday business people. We’re still keen to take on a local person but the job centre doesn’t seem to be the place to do it for us.
by Paul Scully | Jul 23, 2014 | News |
Sutton’s full council meeting on Monday was short but quite remarkable. The questions from both members of the public and councillors unearthed some interesting information. Each time, the original question is taken as read, thus avoiding the delay in having to read out something that is already on the agenda. A resident from Belmont asked a question about the Controlled Parking Zone near the Royal Marsden Hospital. However the question that was answered was not the same as originally submitted after an over-zealous council officer removed a phrase. Here’s the question:
In the pre-election issue of the Liberal Democrat’s Focus on Belmont, it was clearly stated under the heading Better Parking that there are “proposals to lower parking charges in the small CPZ around hospitals and convert parking bays in Cotswold Road into shared use between permit holders and paying”. Was this just pre-election propaganda or is it your genuine intention to resolve the ongoing parking issues for the Belmont residents, all of whom are still unhappy with the present charges and the severely reduced free visitor permit allowance as shown by our petition of 2 years ago? If genuine, what is the proposed timeframe for these changes and how will the conversion of the parking bays be funded?
According to the Chief Executive of Sutton Council, the word ‘propaganda’ was ruled to attribute improper motives to others and was removed using a rule of the council’s constitution. A further question from a Labour Parliamentary Candidate accusing the Council Leader of ‘subterfuge’ went unchallenged.
I’m happy for both phrases to be used. Since when is it the place of the council to decide on what questions are asked and how they are asked. If it’s libellous or illegal, then fine. But it is not up to council officers to decide on the political nature of questions. I am sure the Leader of the Council could have acquitted herself perfectly adequately in answering the original question. The Constitution is in place to safeguard democracy not to undermine it.
A question was asked about how many visitors had been to the controversial £8.5m Sutton Life Centre in the last year and the cost of running the Centre. The answer that came back translated into each visitor costing the borough roughly three times the amount of the entrance fee – a shortfall that you and I have to pick up through our council taxes and/or service cuts. Talking about service cuts, this came up on Monday too, with a member of the public asking about the consultation that is taking place to see which areas members of the public would prioritise for the £40m reduction in the Council’s budget. Asking residents what they think is the right thing to do. A more meaningful consultation process would have been to have raised the matter in April before seeking reelection for another four year term.
Cllr Jane Pascoe asked for an update on the proposed new school in Sutton. We were told that the council had looked at alternative sites to the Sutton Hospital but were not at liberty to tell us where. Only last week, Healthwatch Sutton, a publicly funded organisation held a meeting which was only open to members of the public that had informed one of the local Liberal Democrat MPs that they wanted to come and all questions had to be submitted in advance to the same Member of Parliament. Now more than ever, we need a strong opposition to counter the arrogance and complacency that Sutton council is showing.
by Paul Scully | Jun 13, 2014 | News |
Are you or do you know anyone aged 16-21 and looking for work experience, perhaps with an interest in politics? I’m running two work experience programmes over the summer based in my office in Sutton, each lasting for a fortnight which you may find of interest. In the February half term programme that I ran, participants got an idea of how politics works at a local level, enjoyed a trip to Parliament and took part in some mock debates. The programmes are designed to ensure that you get something out of it. Not just a bit of work to put on the CV, but help in developing the sort of skills that prospective employers are looking for such as confidence, organisation, initiative, team work and leadership. Running my own business, I know the difficulties when sifting through hundreds of CVs trying to find the right person with a bit of spark. These extra activities can help create that spark and differentiate yourself from others.
If you are interested in finding out more, please do get in touch with my campaign manager Ranulph Murray at ranulph@suttoncheamconservatives.com or 020 8642 3791
by Paul Scully | May 5, 2014 | News |
After six weeks of voting, I’ve had around 1,500 go online or write on a competition beermat to vote for their favourite pub. The clear winner was The Nightingale on the corner of Carshalton Road and Lind Road in Sutton. It’s been a fun competition to organise with a number of pubs getting into the spirit of the awards, encouraging their regulars and visitors alike to get on their smartphones or putting a beermat and pen in front of them. Following on from my Shop of the Year award last year, it’s important to continue promoting great local businesses.
Thanks to all who voted. I’ll be picking one lucky voter at random shortly to win £100 to spend in the Nightingale.
A special thank you to the landlords, managers and staff who worked hard to build up support for their pub. We’ve got some great pubs and bars in Sutton, Cheam and Worcester Park. It’s taken me a while to work through the handwriting on some of the beermats and scrapping some of the duplicates but the final results are now in. There can be only one winner but the top ten deserve a special mention, so here’s the run down.
- The Nightingale, Carshalton Road, Sutton
- The Robin Hood, West Street, Sutton
- The Old Bank, Brighton Road, Sutton
- The Lord Nelson, London Road, North Cheam
- The Gander Inn, St Dunstan’s Hill, Cheam
- Ivory Lounge, High Street, Sutton
- The Cock & Bull, High Street, Sutton
- The Railway, Station Way, Cheam
- Ye Olde Red Lion, Park Road, Cheam
- The Nonsuch Inn, North Cheam
Corinne Ellerington, who has run the Nightingale since 2011 said: “We pride ourselves on creating a homely and welcoming environment. We have a loyal group of regulars but we also have a lot of visitors coming in at weekends.
“One of the things that makes the pub so popular is our range of entertainment, we have something going on most days.
“It’s wonderful to be rewarded for our efforts and recognised as one of the best in the area.”
by Paul Scully | Feb 28, 2014 | News |
The review into whether St Helier’s A&E and Maternity Services should be moved to St Georges’ Hospital in Tooting has been scrapped. After Epsom Hospital pulled out of the Better Services, Better Value review which covered St Georges’, Croydon, Kingston, St Helier and Epsom Hospitals, Sutton’s Clinical Commissioning Group of GPs have decided not to go ahead with the unpopular proposals.
I am glad that the clinicians that led the ill-fated BSBV review have realised the depth of feeling of local people. Now we need stability. Scrapping the review is an important step but we need to find a way to ensure that the hospital gets on a secure financial footing and continues to improve on its vital services for local residents.
The Sutton Guardian reports that the £219m earmarked to redevelop the hospital will not be spent on St Helier and the banner on the front of the hospital is to be taken down. It is regrettable that we won’t see the benefit of the much-needed investment, though it was always clear to most that nothing could be built until the clinicians could agree on what kind of hospital they actually wanted to see on the site. I can only imagine the conversations in the Treasury and Department of Health at the squabbling in South London when other hospitals were crying out for funding. We have to come up with a plan that is acceptable to clinicians, local elected representatives and GPs to provide effective local healthcare and make a solid business case for the funding that might be needed rather than the piecemeal reviews and political posturing that has dogged the hospital for the last 15 years or so.
by Paul Scully | Feb 4, 2014 | News |
As a season ticket holder and sponsor at Sutton United, I was pleased to bring Maria Miller, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport down to the club to show her what Sutton United were planning for children’s football in Collingwood Rec’, next door to their Gander Green Lane home.
Having secured a lease from the council, John James from the club’s Supporters Trust was able to share their plans for developing the club in order to make the most of their huge site. Away from the homes on Gander Green Lane, they are looking at renewing some of the old buildings on the ground with a seated North stand and building a pavilion for use by both the club and players on Collingwood Rec. At the moment, Sutton United take it upon themselves to look after much of the Rec to ensure that it is a pleasant place for residents to use. The club is doing well in the league at the moment. It is nice to see them doing well in the community as well.
I had also invited representatives of a few local sports clubs such as West Sutton Little League, Sutton Tennis & Squash Club and The Sports Village. It was interesting to see how many of the issues raised in our discussion about grassroots sports in the Borough centred around dealings with Sutton Council and concerns about how the relationship was not as strong as it might be.
Strengthening existing local networks here in Sutton will provide more of a long – lasting benefit than writing £60,000 cheques for Chelsea FC as Sutton Council did last year. The Minister and I saw the dedication of some superb grassroots volunteers and we should do more to nurture and support their work.
