Author: simon
Island Chief Exec, Joe Duckworth, To Leave!
Thursday, 20th March, 2008 at 2:45 pm, Isle of Wight
It’s with utter amazement that we’ve just learnt that Joe Duckworth is to be leaving the Island in the summer, being that he only joined in 2006.
We watched him in the council chamber last night and he couldn’t have looked happier, grinning away during certain parts of the evening.
Given the timing of the announcement we figure that it’s highly likely that he’s been wanting or planning to leave for a while, but held back until after the school reform debate yesterday - leaving before would have caused too many waves.
Commenting on this and while ensuring that the pesky media don’t try and link the his leaving with the school reforms, Joe said, “I wholeheartedly endorse the decision taken by the full council last night to re-organise the Island’s education structure. I am sure this step will achieve the aims of raising education standards on the Island and giving youngsters here the best possible start in life.”
Explaining his brief history at the council, ‘When I joined the council in 2006 I saw it as my job to make necessary and radical changes to the way the council operated. These changes included embedding strong governance, putting in place proper financial controls and creating a clear vision of the future. They are now in place and the next stage of improvement for the authority will require turning that vision into the reality of a sustainable future for the Island.’
This was backed up by words from David Pugh, Leader of the Council, ‘Joe has driven forward some very necessary improvements to the way the council operates which we will all benefit from far into the future. Joe has been a great chief executive with enormous energy and enthusiasm for doing the very best for the Island and its residents. I would like to place on record the authority’s appreciation for all he has achieved.
Eco Island
As far as we understand, Joe’s been the driving force behind the Eco-Island initiative which, perhaps by no co-incidence what so ever, was voted through with a £400,000 budget in the full council meeting last night. His comment: “I am immensely proud that I can leave the Island and the council having played my part in developing the exciting Eco Island vision.”
What next Joe?
Joe’s most recent past has been London-based, with senior posts at Surrey County Council, the London Borough of Hackney and the City of Westminster - where he was deputy Chief Exec.
When he leaves the Island, he’s off to be Le Grand Fromage at Newham.
Joe was formally appointed to the council in April 2006 following a high-profile national recruitment campaign, coming to the Island on 6 June 2006 - making 21 months in the job.
The council is now on the lookout for someone to take Joe’s role, but will slot in Dave Burbage, Director of Finance as interim Chief Executive, if no one is found before Joe leaved in the summer.
Chief Execs on the Isle of Wight appear to be in a revolving door. To the best of our knowledge, before Joe Duckworth’s arrival, there had been five of them in the last seven years.
Joe’s Blog
We loved it when Joe started his own blog on the council site, natch and popped along to do a little interview with him.
Back on 24 Oct last year he wrote on his blog
Mark Twain said “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”
Similarly, the report of me applying for other jobs isn’t true. I don’t know why these rumours start or for what motivation, but why should I?
Perhaps he wasn’t looking himself, but thinking about leaving … or indeed writing the blog piece got him thinking about it.
Give us a break Joe!
We wish that Joe had held on a little longer, as frankly we (and from the chats we were having with the other Island media last night) are pretty knacked and could have done with a slow news day. This has been a massive week for news on the Island; the sad loss of Anthony Minghella, the controversial School Reforms vote last night and now the Chief Exec leaving.
Being that he has a house in Ventnor, besides him clearly having really good taste, let’s hope he keeps hold of it.
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March 20th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Can someone remind me what he’s done since he arrived? Hopefully we can employ another council figurehead at a more modest salary
March 20th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
What a timely question - We’re compiling a list of them currently, for the interview we’ll be doing with him.
I think on (brief) reflection, he’s straightened out the council a fair bit - possibly saving the council more that his admittedly large salary.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Do you think there’s any chance he might be able to persuade some of his ‘pals’ to join him?
March 20th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
If the next one “Only has to fine tune” surely he/she can come a bloody lot cheeper
March 20th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I think Joe has milked the i.o.w.tax payers enough its time Love Benyon etc did the same they came here to make a fast buck its time for them to go.
March 20th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Achieved nothing as far as I can see. 2* authority when he joined and 2* when he left. He’s used the island as a stepping stone to further his career and we’re the ones who have paid for it. Undercliff was a waste of time, energy and focus and achieved nothing that could not have been done internally. As it is, its defined his time here and allows him to say “I’ Joe Duckworth, and I sorted out the IOW.” Except he did’nt.
March 20th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Transition Isle?
We do hope that the transition to a new permanent Chief Executive will go smoothly. Too often ‘new brooms’ move goal-posts, and interim managers allow innovations to stall.
It would be such a shame…
http://transitioniow.org/wp/2008/03/20/transition-isle/
March 20th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Has Joe done a good job? Have things moved on? Let’s face it, this guy is in it for the money! Qoute from Newham.gov.uk “The new salary range agreed in 2007 has four increments, starting from £200,000 upto a top level of £260,000″. Nice work if you can get it Joe! Who is Joe’s “interim” replacement? Non other than the former Chief Executive of Newham Council, Dave Burbage! Again I qoute: “The previous postholder for the Chief Executive position, Dave Burbage, retired from the Council’s service in May 2007″. Question? If Joe (no blogs) is not leaving until the Summer, why do we need to appoint an “interim” Chief Exec now? Surely we have time to recruit a “proper” replacement before he returns to to the bright lights? Not only am I not surprised that Joe has moved on (he was always after the top job at Westminster City Council, but was never seen as a serious candidate!), but he has enjoyed a short holiday on the Island, whilst also building up his property portfolio, all at our expense! I just hope Joe can encourage his fellow cronies from Westminster-on-Sea to follow him to his new nirvana. ends. frank
March 20th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Another case of failure being rewarded, if you’re high enough up the scale. If he gets a golden handshake, I shall tear up my Council Tax bill!
Bye bye Vera…
March 20th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Dave Burbage! former Chief Executive of Newham Council!
Joe Duckworth moving to Newham - sounds like a nice little club going there.
March 20th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
@Frank - Wow. A Dave Burbage, possibly the same (it’s a quite unusual name after all), was the Chief Exec of Newham.
For clarity, the official statement says that the interim Chief Exec would come in if no replacement is found by the summer (When Joe D leaves).
March 20th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Can we have a Caulkhead now please instead of another career Local authority large-salary-carousel-driver (generous relocation expenses provided)? I’m fed up of seeing us in the “Rotten Boroughs” section of Private Eye. If they weren’t such a bunch of second raters and actually made a difference it wouldn’t be so bad, but I get the feeling that none of them would be able to command a tenth of their inflated salaries in the private sector. Any of the last few gold diggers ever run a business?
March 21st, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Shocking! This cant do the island good at all !!
What I do recommend to the IOW Council HR department is that the new employment contract should be time bound to 5 years at the end of which the position can be renewed. This deals with 2 important issues-
1. It ensures continuity and provides some stability to the LA and the people of the island
2. Not only will it give a chance for the CE to prove herself/himself but also an opportunity to see through decisions through to execution.
This can weed out ” gold diggers” or “career climbers”. Specifically recruiting ” caulkheads” may not be the answer as we have seen the historical mess in the council offices.
This problem of turnover of Senior Management and recruitment of committed people can be dealt with very well through well thought out HR policy and practice.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Many congratulations to Joe on his appointment last night as Chief Exec of Newham. Good riddance to a waste of space who’s top word is “STUFF”. His annoucement of his departure just before a bank holiday, thereby avoiding any extensive news coverage, is just typical of the man! Why can’t he just go now, rather than extend it through to the end of the summer? I’ll tell you why. The generous relocation allowances that were paid to him in 2006 (100K+), must be paid back if the tenure of the post is less than 2 years. Between now and September Joe can be seen “stuffing” his strut on any beach between Ventnor and Ryde. Perhaps we should set up a “spot the Joe” competition? The prize could be “spending a day with the Chief Exec”. It would be very attractive to the unemployed and senior council employees i.e. late start, early finish! Let’s get it right next time. Vera.
March 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
“The generous relocation allowances that were paid to him in 2006 (100K+), must be paid back if the tenure of the post is less than 2 years.”
Is this true? That is disgrace. Surely he can’t be allowed to get away with that? Councillors please, earn your keep and stop this nonsense.
March 22nd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
No doubt the next CE will come from the same club of cronies, and that appointment will milk yet more funds from the Council Tax.
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:40 pm
This business with the relocation allowance must be laid at the door of the IW Council who approved such an outrageous arrangement. Joe is just exploiting the terms in his contract to squeeze the maximum out of the gullible Council. It makes the MPs, who are allowed to claim £375 for a fridge for their London flat, seem very reasonable by comparison.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:00 am
Shuba, your comnents about the apparent lack of a robust HR key person policy are so true.
This seems to be a time when the credibility of the IWC is not at its highest, and is perhaps compounded with elections looming in 2009.
Surely now more than ever, some stability is needed in the IWC.
If Joe had been hired as an interim manager himself, to do a specific job, then a high payment for achieving certain objectives would be the norm for any large organisation.
But he wasn’t and leaving at the point of delivering on Eco-Island (perhaps the most important strategy change for the Island)leaves a question mark over the ability of the IWC to hire and keep the right person.
As an observation, Joe’s statement on the Newham Council web site could almost be that for a similar role on the Island (if you change a few words.)
“My ambition for Newham is simple. We will deliver excellent services for our communities and make sure local people get the most out of the 2012 Games and the regeneration of the borough.
“We will become a council with a reputation for focusing on local needs but also one that attracts the maximum investment to the area to regenerate and reinvigorate our local economy.
“I want to see Newham firmly on the London and national map with an exciting story to tell and a place where people want to live, work, visit and invest. I also want us to be a first class location for business with a range of world class facilities.”
I agree with Simon, it looks like he has done a good job while here. He has hired some really capable and effective directors to run the council. Sarah Mitchell in particular.
I wish him well.
Mark
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Mark
Without a leader in place for at least a maximum of 5 years, consolidation or indeed change is very difficult to accomplish. The island requires stability to build itself and even develop some kind of positive identity, particularly important when there is such a large transient population.
The island has a great managerial and entrepreneurial skill base. Is there some way in which we can influence the selection process particularly for key person positions?
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
You are quite right Shuba.
Given the pivotal point the island is at (i.e. the eco-island goals). Perhaps now is a good time to call a workshop attended not just by council staff. But also the elected Councillors and representatives of every sector of our local economy and infrastructure. Including the voluntary and community sector (who make up about £10m of our GVA).
With a defined output being the creation of the right person specification and selection process to find that person.
The Council almost have a clean slate to work from and get it right.
It could be looked on as an opportunity to revisit what is really needed as opposed to an automatic reaction to find a CEO per se.
This does not mean calling in consultants from the mainland, but using our own talent on the island. Of which we have a lot.
The island has a great managerial and entrepreneurial skill base, as you say. Let’s harness this in a collective sense with the Council and work together.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Great Mark.
The whole employment contract for such a senior position should be strategic and dovetailed to the islands future plans.
Will you initiate this process at the IWC level? Let me know if you need anything from me.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Shuba,
Shuba, excellent: “should be strategic and dovetailed to the islands future plans”
That is the point precisely. It would be great of course to find that what we have been discussing has been agreed to be followed already!
Shuba could you get your contact details to me on RLSSIOW at BTINTERNET.COM so we can agree the next step?
Many thanks, Mark
March 24th, 2008 at 11:11 am
“Given the timing of the announcement we figure that it’s highly likely that he’s been wanting or planning to leave for a while, but held back until after the school reform debate yesterday - leaving before would have caused too many waves.”
Given the rumours which have been escaping from the CX’s suite of offices for some time now I guess JD has been doing the rounds of interviews for several months now.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I’m assuming that “Mark” and “Shuba” have some influence on council recruitment and appointments? You’re both talking sense, so as someone who has no influence apart from as a regular island resident, can I just say, please yes, follow up your ideas so that the council recruits the right person, and one who will stick with the role long enough to see through improvements and be held accountable.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Wendy
I have no influence on council recruitment whatsoever. I am relying on “Mark” to tell us how to¡
Mark speaks with some authority so I assume he is in the know. Perhaps Mark could enlighten us?
March 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Thanks for clarifying, Shuba. As regards Joe Duckworth himself, I’m slightly hampered in my judgment by the fact that (by the sound of it) he’s from Yorkshire (like me) and looks quite like my dad.
Not been impressed by the schools decision, or the way he kept sniggering at inappropriate times during the meeting on Wednesday. Do like the eco-Island plan and that he rides a bike. Big salary for someone who only stays in the job a short while, and if he’s sticking it out a few months more just so he doesn’t have to pay his relocation allowance, well, I’d rather that money got funnelled into our schools!
March 24th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Hi Shuba and Wendy,
Like both of you I do not have any direct authority over what the IWC does.
What I do have to offer, which may or may not help. Is that I am the Chairman of the Island branch of a national charity and a Trustee of another. While in itself that may not seem of any use. I think it may have value in that I personally know some of the most senior people in the voluntary and community sector (which plays a very strong role on the island) and have continual contact with the Council.
That combined with a multinational corporate background, a fair grasp of HR management, and in particular succession planning. That means I can at least relate to the current situation. Much of which is plain business common sense and good practice, which Shuba has alluded to.
This may give me an ability to help by lobbying a series of influential people both in and around the council to take more than a passing interest in this appointment.
I have to network a great deal both in the business, local authority and community parts of our economy, so that usually helps me identify the right people and the right buttons to push (if that makes sense).
This often works. Not always. I have had some spectacular failures as well as successes, but more of the latter than the former, and I learn from experience.
What I was going to suggest is an email to the interim CEO and council leader asking very politely what the plan is for the new appointment process and expressing a concern as an individual tax payer, that the process be seen to show value for money and achieve the objectives Shuba has so clearly highlighted.
With luck, we may find, that as the leader of the Council has said he reads this Blog daily. He may come back and say all is in hand; the council are doing exactly as you would expect a large employer to do, and our concerns are already being taken into account.
After all, while this may be news to us, it will by definition have been known about in the IWC for some time.
To get someone really good to do the job excellently will cost a lot of money, whichever way we look at it.
I do agree with you Shuba, re the need for at least a five year contract.
I don’t know if it helps, but I am prepared to lobby if that is what it takes. Hopefully it won’t be needed!
Shuba would you be prepared to write from your point of you in the economy?
Mark
March 24th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Mark
your experience and connections are vital and I will write or even meet with Council heads if necessary. I will wait for you to initiate and guide us on this.
March 24th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I’ll send out emails tonight and by this time tomorrow we should have some form of feedback.
As said, it would be really nice if we did not have do anything or worry at all, but as concerned tax payers and wanting an effective CEO at the helm of the Council, I’m glad that we take the Council seriously enough to do so!
Lets get started then, and hope for the best!!!
March 25th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I agree that publicly expressed opinion on the need for stability in the most senior management of our Council might help new appointments. The combination of Elected Members who come and go, but are in contact with local opinion, and long-serving experienced service managers is supposed to give the best guidance.
My particular concern is that the Eco-Isle initiative be continued, and not allowed to sink without trace. Any leader who starts a ball rolling is vulnerable to his/her successor’s actions.
But there is research that says that brilliant initiatives are often started by one sort of personality, and brought to fruition AND THEN MAINTAINED by a quite different sort of personality.
My hope this that we (the Island) can get this right.
Dave Simon
TRANSITION ISLAND
Website: www.aldermoor-farm.co.uk/TransitionIsland.htm
Blogsite: http://transitioniow.org/wp/
WIKIsite: http://transitiontowns.org/Isle-of-Wight/Isle-of-Wight
March 25th, 2008 at 10:12 am
“Given the rumours which have been escaping from the CX’s suite of offices for some time now I guess JD has been doing the rounds of interviews for several months now.”
Is this true? If so who is following up on how/whether we reclaim the £100k relocation monies. It seems to have been done in distinctly bad faith to me.
March 25th, 2008 at 10:15 am
The rumours are reported on his blog on ….
24/10/2007 08:26:29
Mark Twain said “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”
Similarly, the report of me applying for other jobs isn’t true. I don’t know why these rumours start or for what motivation, but why should I?
March 25th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Well, his posts are pretty revealing if you read between the lines.
On 8th Feb, he wrote a piece titled Pushed and Pulled which starts “I don’t like being pushed, but I love being pulled!”
Perhaps this refers to him being headhunted?
March 28th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Mark
I sent you a detailed email listing HR, contractual and recruitment issues, and its relevance to hiring a CE for the IOW
(with its unique political characteristics). I have also made some comments on the impact on the businesses and economy of the island.
I sent it to both your email adds. I trust you have received it.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hi Shuba,
It did indeed and thank you very much. A very impressive set of notes.
The issue came up at the eco-island conference in one of the workshop sessions at the end of the day. Concern in IWC ability to hire and keep the right person was noted and agreed by those present. In particular linking the role directly into the eco-island vision.
Comments are now going out this weekend as a result.
It may come to nothing but at least we have made an effort rather than just accepting the status quo.
Mark