Four former colleagues have decided to call it a day. They will leave at the end of the financial year. Officially they are taking early retirement but as they are all under 60 they don't consider themselves to be retiring. They still feel they have something to offer. Like so many other public sector managers their departure was advanced by continued budget cuts necessitating a further cull of management posts. A new generation of senior manager has been taking over keen to show their corporate credentials by being the first to submit their budget cut proposals, proud to claim the smallest management team, the flattest management structure and the most services outsourced. The old school directors were often accused of special pleading the new breed take pride in going beyond what is required, asked for 3 percent budget savings they offer 5. Freed from the old political restraints of direct service provision and an ideology of private bad public good they want to show just how business like they can be, the deals that can be done and how far the citizen’s pound can be stretched. They see the role as commissioners and contract monitors it's a matter of indifference whether services are provided by the public sector or the private sector, it's all about cost, choice and competition but mostly cost. Being finance driven rather than practice led is not new, the move has been in this direction for 20 years! Now there is little pretence, zero contacts over being a model employer, 15 minute pop ins over time to do a good job. To an old school public sector manager this does not fit with a public sector ethos or a commitment to professional values. As a young, ambitious and idealistic manager in social services I was interviewed for an assistant director’s post. The chair of the interview panel, the leader of the council, was a Tory with a business background. He asked me, "as a social worker can you reassure me that your priority will be to manage the budget?". My response was that I considered staying within budget the main responsibility of a senior manager but that how I carried out my role and responsibilities would always be informed by my professional values. I doubt this answer would get me the job today. Making staff redundant, reducing services, closing libraries, day centres and old people's homes, changing eligibility criteria so even disabled and vulnerable people no longer qualify for help, expecting staff to take on increased workloads whilst freezing or even reducing their pay must inevitable erode ones humanity. Hence time to go. Blair McPherson author and commentator on the public sector www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
