Another One Bites the Dust

Cheesy title I know but you have to realise I have ambitions towards low level tabloid journalism and it was either that or something about rats and sinking ships.

Anyway, according to the 'Post', NCC is to lose another Corporate Director as Barry Horne is leaving.

This comes after the recent announcement that Sallyanne Johnson was taking voluntary redundancy following the disbanding of the Adult Services Department.

Horne was in charge of the Environment and Regeneration department and like Johnson was trousering about £145k a year.

Everyone seems to be falling over themselves to stress how 'amicable' this all is and how it is by 'mutual consent' although I'm suspicious about the lack of the word 'voluntary' being used anywhere.

What's more the 'Appointments and Conditions of Service' committee has been beavering away in secret for some time now plotting the restructure of senior management and occasionally the odd bit of info pops out.

For example, shortly before Johnson's announcement ACSO minuted an agreement to consult on voluntary severence for a senior officer. However, recently I've been hearing that the Corporate Directors that were left were having to apply for jobs in the new structure and before Horne announced he was going ACSO had been interviewing for a non specified post in connection with the restructure. Then at their meeting on 5 January they recorded that they were unable to recruit to it.

I appreciate that this is putting two and two together and making about 13 but it has made me wonder just how amicable his leaving is. I suppose that will depend on how much silver crosses his palm and what he does next.

Anybody willing to take a bet on him joining a firm of uber consultants like PwC?