flamboyant

Signed Colin thank you

How bad does it have to get before we are declared bankrupt and Government steps in ? Can't come soon enough for me!

Particularly liked the following We will reduce the support available to our managers and frontline staff from our finance, HR and other back office functions and so reduce the cost of these services. I would rather have seen, we will reduce our management structure Or we are shutting down Hoople and bringing services back in house! There's a reason why they posted that on Facebook it's been hidden on the Council website for months. Why are they suddenly posted it on Facebook?

The Council recently posted this link on their Facebook page, they wanted to share it with us https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/government-citizens-and-rights/democracy/council-finances/budget-consultation/to-achieve-our-priorities-we-have-to-radically-reduce-our-costs-in-other-areas

Ring the Council surely they will tidy this up?

TwoWheelsGood I'm in good company then because no-one else understands it either. The Council can't get the basics like cutting the grass they have no hope of developing a core strategy lol!! I am totally ignorant of gobbledygook I blame the smoke..

The incomparable Bobby strikes again! Hilarious!

The only hope we have is one of the Councillors stands up and screams what a load of gobbledygook! I do not believe anyone can get a true idea of what exactly is going to happen from reading this strategy! It's all smoke screens and mirrors! Nowhere does it mention We will not cut your grass We will not pick up the litter We will not collect stray dogs We will continue to employ consultants costing £500 per day We will continue to increase the wages of our over paid under qualified managers We will create more arms length companies and we will farm out our services Etc. etc. .....

He's just paid it. He like the Councillors is out of touch and putting his faith in people who will inevitably by his down fall!

I'm guessing the Director was either Jenny Lewis or Geoff Hughes. There's a lot happening on good ole Geoffs' watch, isn't he the Director of Homes and Communities or is it now called some other obscure name? Doesn't housing come under his control? He's rumoured to earn 120 k a year so I think he should start making his money or retire gracefully and take all his mates with him! They are easily identified they will report directly to Geoff and currently be working on some crazy fictitious project costing a small fortune. The Director has ultimate responsibility for his officers otherwise what's the point of these management structures?

Jenny Hastings linkedin has her address as Taunton Somerset Taunton Bourough Council paid Ameo huge sums of money in 2011-2012 & 2012- 2013. £237,322.80 and £260,642.96 respectively http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en-GB&ie=UTF-8&q=council+and+Ameo+ltd.xls Now this Is where it gets really interesting. http://ibmwatch.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/southwest-one-scandal.html Also http://www.conservativehome.com//localgovernment/2009/04/lib-dem-councillor-in-somerset-denied-justice-by-his-own-party.html All sounds very familiar Software, compromise agreements and business partnerships promising to save us millions .... How on earth do these people end up at Herefordshire Council?

GDJ in 2013 before Ameo training existed. Wiltshire Council paid Ameo a lot of money see link below. According to Jenny Hastings linkedin she has done work for Wiltshire. Coincidence I think not. http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/council/howthecouncilworks/budgetsandspending/paymentssalariesandexpenses/paymentssearch/byexpensetype.htm?expensetype=Consultants%B4%20Fees&month=09&year=2013

Lol well spotted GDJ Still like Roger to confirm which Jenny Hastings inspected the school. There are so many coincidences you can really never be sure.

GDJ who is responsible at the Council for looking into wrong doing? Is it the overview and scrutiny committee or is it Law and Governace, any idea? How on earth does an ex-Director of HC under suspicion of wrong doing get an appointment as a Head teacher? In my day if you managed a team and someone in the team was guilty of a wrong doing it was your head in the chopping block! Who had line management responsibility for the Director and why wasn't he/she asked how this happened on their watch! Is that the CEO I wonder?

Two Jenny Hastings? The one I refer to is the Ameo Training/ independent. See below link http://www.newcollege.leicester.sch.uk/newcollege/files/Meeting-25.01.12.pdf The one in the letter referred to by Roger Phillips is the independent consultant in the link above or is that just a huge coincidence?

Below is a link to a letter from Cllr Roger Phillips to Parish Councils in January 2013. The letter mentions a lady called Jenny Hastings inspecting one of our schools. http://www.nhca.org.uk/sites/www.nhca.org.uk/files/january_2013_update.pdf Jenny Hastings is an independent educational advisor who is a Director of Ameo Training and development incorporated in January 2014. Ben Ward is a Director of Ameo Ltd incorporated in 2010. He is also a Director of Ameo training and Ameo professional Jenny Hastings linkedin profile below Ameo are a coaching, training and leadership programme delivery partner that specialise in business change and transformation across Local Government and Health. We focus on helping clients achieve sustainable change and desired outcomes through providing tailored training solutions and coaching expertise. We achieve this by creating in partnership with our client’s, unique development programmes that focus on helping teams and individuals become more effective in leadership and team working in complex organisational environments. Typically the Local Government and Health organisations we work within have a workforce who face the challenges of: • Responsibility without authority • Multiple ‘dotted line’ relationships both with and outside of the organisation • Collaborating with a multitude of stakeholders • Ambiguity and uncertainty • Navigating a changing ‘political’ landscape • Having to respond to several competing projects, processes and teams In complex organisational environment the beliefs, behaviours, knowledge and skills for success are very different from those within traditional hierarchical structures and our leadership programmes are designed to facilitate the development of these skills. Ameo is driven by individual client needs and desired outcomes. We understand that your situation is unique and requires a bespoke solution that provides access to a flexible and responsive pool of expert resources that can be called upon to either help you shape the desired outcome or take responsibility for the delivery of defined outcomes. Our associates are highly skilled and experienced specialists who will work with you to define, scope and deliver your requirements. Our core markets are Local Government, NHS, Voluntary Sector, Social Enterprises and Private Sector providers. Ameo have done a considerably amount of work for Herefordshire Council and earned a huge amount of money.

Bobby fantastic piece well said! Smartieno 1 The Councillors and the Cabinet are fed lies and they swallow those lies. The blame lies in the archaic way Cabinet is run. I have read papers submitted to cabinet that are riddled with lies, misdirection and manipulated to self serve and preserve the job and position of the person who wrote it. Cabinet read that report and believing it to be fact they vote it through! You can sit in the public gallery in silence and listen and watch them swallow those lies and there's nothing you can do about it! I once saw someone removed for shouting out! It's absolute torture to witness! Hundreds of good people have lost their jobs because managers tell Cabinet there's a saving to be made, they never fully explain the impact of what they are doing. The redesign always leads to an increase in someone's salary! On the other hand these Councillors don't really want to know the truth if you tell them what's happening they listen but they won't do anything, they will only don these pages if there's something in it for them or their party or to refute a comment such as this. Don't take my word for that the evidence is contained in these pages. Now I've opened myself up for an attack as in the case of the whistleblower I've dared to comment and I've been critical! Councillors will read my comments and they will take it personally and everyone who doesn't agree with me will attack! I will retreat and question what in God's name was I thinking! I will stay away lick my wounds and when I feel strong enough I will return and start again.

TWG actually Ben Ward is the director of AMEO LTD Mike Dearing is the Director of Ameo Consulting they are both Directors of Ameo Professional now you may think that's a coincidence but I'm sorry I don't agree. Sorry but there's definitely no coincidence, check it out http://companycheck.co.uk/search/results?SearchCompaniesForm%5Bname%5D=ameo&yt0.x=28&yt0.y=14&yt0=submit

Who lives in Upton Bishop?

Absolutely spot on Gdj one day they will force out the wrong person and that person will sing like a canary! I for one look forward to that because there are a lot more going on than you could ever imagine. One day someone will have nothing to lose and the house of cards will all come crashing down! On another note I don't think Herefordshire Council is stupid enough to put a gagging order in a compromise agreement now that really would be worth whistling about! Lol

I don't think whistleblowers should be demonized for reporting a wrong doing. If more people blew the whistle less people would feel able to get away with it! If there's one grain of truth in it then I for one want to know. I think these people are brave and should be applauded for every one misdeed that gets reported there are hundreds more that don't and they're the ones that can have a devastating impact...

I hope you're right Bobby but I'm inclined to think the nightmare is about to get a whole lot worse and 2015 is a long time coming!

That's probably it DIPPY the Council staff that were allocated these properties were key members of staff, Social workers and the like. That's ok if that's the case we need good Social workers I want to know we have the best of the best looking after our children, our elderly,and disabled. I'm not so sure that's the case though I think the staff were all based in a department not connected to any of those Services. There are a lot of rumours going around depending on who you talk to. I hope it's not true to be honest because it stinks! I heard it was 4 members of staff in Franklin house customer services some of whom are currently suspended while it's investigated. Like everthing else it will be swept under the carpet if it is true,,

DIPPY I think I started the thread...the tone is certainly me lol There are some strange things happening on here at the moment, like the Hoople thread suddenly disappearing? One minute it was a hot topic the next minute it disappeared! Mind you maybe that was for the best I was having one of my turns! Where my eyes roll to the back of my head my temperature rises and I start screaming obscenities! I was calculating the amount of money paid to Ameo (the 'new' company set up by Mike Dearing) and my heart was racing so fast I almost keeled over! I can't seem to switch off! How exactly does that work? A company gets huge payments from Herefordshire Council and then suddenly you're a Director of that Company is that even legal? Or is it a case of you scratch my back? Or a coincidence maybe? I certainly commented on the managements' strategy to save money, here's a recap. It's very clever you write a strategy for saving money that includes sacking all the lower paid workers (front line staff) and then give yourself a huge pay rise it's pure genious! Then you work from home, saves a fortune on office space and no one has a clue what you're doing! You honestly couldn't make it up! If you're really clever then you wrangle yourself a brand new house (intended to house the homeless) and the Council subsidise your rent it's a win win! The moral of the story is- If you want to get ahead get a job with Herefordshire Council. If you're lucky enough to be a senior manager you can orchestrate a wage raise and a subsidised house. Rumour has it 4 members of staff working in the housing team have been allocated a brand new house! Cllr Powell ask some questions make some noises please find out if any of these rumours are true? Start by asking,which managers received a pay rise this year? Followed by how many members of staff jumped the housing queue? If it's nonsense we'd love to know. Usuallycthough there's no smoke without fire!

Actually 'gdj' HC paid Ameo a lot more than that, here's a few more. I haven't been through all of the Councils expenditure so I expect there's a lot more. http://www.google.ie/url?q=https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/media/7188567/over_500_expenditure_paid_august_13.pdf&sa=U&ei=3V9uU5GvCsG47Ab28oCgDA&ved=0CCAQFjAF&usg=AFQjCNHuEfYb72jVNvvHvGJ8_NfFtdIQNQ http://www.google.ie/url?q=https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/media/6842566/March_13_expenditure.pdf&sa=U&ei=3V9uU5GvCsG47Ab28oCgDA&ved=0CCQQFjAH&usg=AFQjCNHKGrbg5fpy-IGggfD9k-irMpYYWA http://www.google.ie/url?q=https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/media/6842476/April_13_expenditure.pdf&sa=U&ei=3V9uU5GvCsG47Ab28oCgDA&ved=0CCIQFjAG&usg=AFQjCNEDNmF-1KdaKSEahkzCOqSL4dSwYg