Back slapping
4 star ceremony for award winners!
Just had Mrs. Baggit in the shop complaining again, seems she had to stand in a long queue at one of South Tyneside’s Council Offices, the woman is never happy!
Brenda - “So what was the trouble love?”
Mrs. Baggit - “There were hardly any staff there, only two girls at the windows, took me half an hour to make a simple enquiry, what a waste of a lunch hour!”
Brenda - “That’s because they are all so good dear, 4 star award winners, you know”
Mrs. Baggit - “What do you mean so good?”
Brenda - “Of course they are, that’s why half of the staff are missing, and don’t expect them back this afternoon, either!”
Mrs. Baggit - “Do you know something that I don’t Brenda?”
Brenda - “Of course I do.”
Mrs. Baggit - “Come on then spill the beans.”
Brenda - “Well I got a phone call from Curly asking if I could pick him up on the way into work, he’s at Temple Park Leisure Centre, South Shields for his ‘advanced coffin dodging’ exercise class. When I got there I could hardly find a place to park the car, they were even parking on the grass, and when I got inside to look for Curly you could hardly hear yourself speak.”
Mrs. Baggit - “Why, whatever was going on?”
Brenda - “Well, you know me, nosy as ever, I asked about and it turned out that the huge gymnasiums there had been turned into a temporary concert hall for hundreds of South Tyneside Council’s employees. There were flashing lights behind the blackout curtains, a giant screen, a live band, and stadium type seating, it was all very flash and professional, you know, and loads of good looking food in the bar for them as well.”
Mrs. Baggit - “But was it all about”
Brenda - “Oh it was a big back slapping exercise to say thank you for being a 4 star borough. I asked one of the men there and he told me they do it every year, pick the best achieving staff out of the various departments and send them up to Temple Park for a big thank you and throw a load of free food in too, then they have the rest of the day off!”
Mrs. Baggit - “Every year?”
Brenda - “That’s what he said”
Mrs. Baggit - “Surely if they do it every year, then it no longer becomes a special event!”
Brenda - “I guess you are right”
Mrs. Baggit - “Didn’t I read in Curly’s blog that four out of five councils received a 3 or 4 star award this year?”
Brenda - Yeah, I think so”
Mrs. Baggit - “So that’s what my council tax pays for”
Brenda - “Looks like it dear”
Mrs. Baggit - “Oh well, are the Gazettes in yet”
Brenda - “No , sorry luv, they must be a bit late today”
Mr. Baggit - “Not having a good day today are we,…………… goodbye Brenda.”
Posted by Brenda
Poor old Mrs Baggit, what a day last Friday!
So here’s the other half of the story…Last Friday was great at Temple Park. yes, we do it every year, because every year we set direction for the council, and reflect what has gone well (and not so well).
Yes, we thank those staff who have done an outstanding job too. We are not 4 stars every year (and yes, the majority of Councils are 3 or 4 star, but only 10 in England are 4 star and improving strongly), but every year some of our colleagues do a really great job (our customers and partners tell us about it), and we think they deserve a thank you. The band was us too - fabulous, the food was for our guests from all over the region (some even national) - and they deserved some nosh because they generously sponsored the event so it didn’t cost Mrs Baggit anything.
if only she’d asked us, we could have told her and made her day!
Comment by David Slater — May 1, 2007 @ 9:16 pm
“every year we set direction for the council”
Isn’t it the job of the ruling Labour Group to set the direction and policy of the Council David? They haven’t abdicated that responsibility to officers I hope?
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