The side-effect of public cuts...

vivatifosi

I have been researching the commercial property industry for many years and the past five years in particular have been a boom time for those working in architecture for the public sector. I can't recall the names of all of the programmes, but under the past government we've seen plans to:

* Modernise the schools estate (Building Schools for the future)
* Modernise the Higher Education Estate
* Modernise the Further Education Estate (which didn't get as far as the above)
* Develop new hospitals for PFI
* Develop children's centres
* Move government departments out of London under the Lyons review
* Develop the Olympics site

To name but a few...

What has exacerbated the situation in commercial interiors is that when it became clear c2007 that there was likely to be a downturn in private commercial property needs, many property related companies made a bid to move into property for the public sector. The problem now is that the public sector projects are starting to be put on hold/cancelled without the private sector picking back up again. In such cycles architects, particularly newly qualified ones, are always badly hit.

mvengemvenge

Sapphire wrote: »

This is totally wrong – and managers in the public sector should be competent enough to do without management consultants. If they are not, they are the wrong people for the jobs they are doing.

I could tell you so many stories...

Unfortunately, in the coming cull, I fear it will not be ineffective upper and middle management in the civil service, etc, who are sacrificed, but frontline officers, simply replaced by agency staff, etc. There is terrible waste, there are people who do non-jobs, but staff down on the ground are not allowed to innovate or try something different, they are reigned back by people who fear making an actual decision. The public sector could be so very different, but I think the Con-Dems are about to throw out the people who could try new things they've always wanted to, and retain the pen-pushers who held them back. There's irony for you...

Spartacus_Mills

Turnbull2000 wrote: »

Where did I blame the government for these losses? I didn't.

I never claimed you did. I was making a point.

carolt

Sapphire wrote: »

Trouble is, they are often excessively highly paid jobs, payable at the taxpayer's expense. I have a cousin who is a management consultant working for various government departments. She gets paid an absolute fortune – and in fact on a recent project colleagues who were also management consultants were flown in to their work area from Scotland each week. First-class rail travel is of course the norm for these people.

This is totally wrong – and managers in the public sector should be competent enough to do without management consultants. If they are not, they are the wrong people for the jobs they are doing.

I totally agree. People like your cousin are parasites on the public purse, simple as.

They are paid far in excess of what any public servant would be - don't forget no civil servant would ever get 1st class rail travel! - and are generally, according to friends in the civil service, uttterly incompetent (because they are flown in over their heads with no knowledge of the sector at all).

The sooner that all overpaid consultants are removed from despoiling the public purse the better. Which the Tories have said they'll do - though whether I believe them is another matter - too many of their friends in those jobs.

Dont think that the number of consultants reflects the competence or otherwise of public sector workers - it reflects the obsession of their former masters, Labour ministers, with bringing in special advisers and outside 'experts' - at far greater costs than using existing staff - over the heads of those there with long-term knowledge of the work. This was done deliberately to push forward their agenda, which any civil servant worth his/her salt would have advised against.

StevieJ

carolt wrote: »

Dont think that the number of consultants reflects the competence or otherwise of public sector workers - it reflects the obsession of their former masters, Labour ministers, with bringing in special advisers and outside 'experts' - at far greater costs than using existing staff - over the heads of those there with long-term knowledge of the work. This was done deliberately to push forward their agenda, which any civil servant worth his/her salt would have advised against.

Those parasites are also a blight on private industry and merely a prop for lazy management.

Andy_L

carolt wrote: »

They are paid far in excess of what any public servant would be - don't forget no civil servant would ever get 1st class rail travel! -

Not true, 1st class rail travel is a contractual right in many parts of the civil service and/or at certain grades

lemonjelly

mvengemvenge wrote: »

I could tell you so many stories...

Unfortunately, in the coming cull, I fear it will not be ineffective upper and middle management in the civil service, etc, who are sacrificed, but frontline officers, simply replaced by agency staff, etc. There is terrible waste, there are people who do non-jobs, but staff down on the ground are not allowed to innovate or try something different, they are reigned back by people who fear making an actual decision. The public sector could be so very different, but I think the Con-Dems are about to throw out the people who could try new things they've always wanted to, and retain the pen-pushers who held them back. There's irony for you...

THIS. Oh good god this.:T

wolvoman

StevieJ wrote: »

Those parasites are also a blight on private industry and merely a prop for lazy management.

Eh?

Are professional builders parasites because homeowners aren't good enough to DIY?

Are doctors parasites because I can't self-diagnose my health problems.


Why can't specialised management be a service provided at a fee?

kabayiri

I think the public sector is short of specialist IT, and needs good consultants in that area. [I do mean good, not the masses they often get served up with]

I reviewed the architecture of a complex project last week (I'm not referring to me as one of those consultants, btw).

I spoke to the client of my concerns over performance in a couple of areas, and they were totally clueless...these are public sector customers who do not understand the detail of what they have purchased.
Sobering....