A senior councillor has moved to reassure Cheshire East Council’s opposition leader that a costly workplace culture scheme is tackling bullying at the local authority, writes Stephen Topping.
Cheshire East Council paid consultancy firm Sticky Change £152,460 to help it work on a ‘brighter future together’ programme during 2018-19 – a scheme designed to improve the local authority’s workplace culture.
It came after a Local Government Association (LGA) review into CEC, commissioned by the council itself, found that almost a quarter of council staff it surveyed were aware of workplace bullying in the second half of 2017.
In that report, the LGA stated that incidents of bullying came from ‘predominantly people who have power within the organisation’ – and at Thursday’s staffing committee meeting Labour Cllr Sam Corcoran demanded to know how this was being addressed.
He said: “Given that there have been no changes in the senior positions of power within the organisation since those words were written, it is logically inescapable that the bullies are still in place at CEC.
“I would like to see this committee take a strong stand against bullying and press for meaningful action.
“Now I understand about the work being done through Sticky Change and the Brighter Futures programme, but that is aimed at changing the culture of the council, which is subtly but importantly different from addressing bullying.
“They are linked, because if you change the culture, that will help to prevent bullying. But there is nothing that I can see that gives me a warm feeling of how we are acting to stop bullying in this council.”
Following the comments, Conservative Cllr Barry Moran, chairman of CEC’s staffing committee, moved to reassure members that the ‘brighter future together’ scheme is having a positive effect.
He listed a raft of ways workplace culture was being improved, including training for councillors and senior staff, conversation sessions with employees and champions for the project.
A dedicated anti-bullying helpline has also been set up, along with a ‘deal’ for staff that sets out values and behaviours, and a series of staff surveys have taken place.
Cllr Moran added: “It is well known that matters of employee wellbeing, cultural change and bullying are taken very seriously and are very high on CEC’s agenda.
“In recent times we have seen – and all welcomed I am sure – the commissioning of the LGA’s cultural review report, the resultant start-up of the current Brighter Future Together culture programme, along with some very good progress made by all of the officers and members involved to address the recommendations.
“Working with Sticky Change, strong governance arrangements ensure a programme of work, together with a number of key projects being very well delivered.”
New figures presented to members at the meeting revealed that 72% of staff have taken part in conversation sessions as part of the programme, while 83% of managers and 52 councillors had completed training.
Another staff survey will be issued as part of the scheme next month.
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