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Moira Gibb |
‘Baby P inquiry will not distract me from my job’
Town Hall chief exec reassures council amid fears over workload
THE Town Hall’s chief executive has insisted she will not be distracted from her job in Camden after being hired by the government to head a detailed inquiry into social work following the Baby P case.
Moira Gibb has told councillors her work with the Social Work Taskforce – which promises to be an intensive review of services across the country and is due to begin next month – will not impinge on her job with the council.
Opponents of Camden’s own social care strategy, which saw the department leave £1 million unspent in the past year (see page 7), have raised eyebrows at the appointment and there were murmurings this week that the council should not lose sight of issues on its own doorstep.
Ms Gibb has already been handed a list of expectations that come with the inquiry set up by Education Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Alan Johnson in the aftermath of the death of Baby P in Haringey.
The brief includes a request to investigate how social workers are using their time; what support and supervision they receive and what changes to the system need to be made.
A report must be prepared by next summer.
Baby P died aged 17 months after being abused by his mother, his mother’s boyfriend and their lodger.
Repeated warning signs were missed by Haringey’s social services and earlier this week its department head Sharon Shoesmith was dismissed by councillors without severance pay.
As a former social worker who has risen speedily through the ranks of the local government world, Ms Gibb was an obvious choice for the government.
Her colleagues in Camden have got used to her juggling her workload. Her “moonlighting”, as one councillor jokingly called it this week, has included work with the Office of National Statistics, inspections of other councils and the occasional book review for the Guardian.
In a letter circulated to councillors, she said: “My role on the Task Force will be part time and whilst I do not underestimate the challenges that will be associated with it, I do not anticipate it impinging on my Camden role.”
Ms Gibb, who was named by a Sunday newspaper as among the 50 best paid chief executives in the country with potential earnings close to £200,000, was approached on Friday.
Labour finance spokesman Councillor Theo Blackwell said: “It must be a personal honour to be on a government taskforce. Back in Camden, though, minds should be focused on the council’s £1 million cut to social care outlined in the 2009 budget papers at a time when demand will be going up.”
The council said the appointment should be welcomed as sign of Camden’s standing.
“A key part of the role of a chief executive is contributing to national developments, and Moira is often asked to do so,” a spokesman said.
“She recently led a review into the reporting burden on local authorities from the Department of Health. This does not adversely affect the council, in fact the council benefits from the learning during these processes, and from the opportunity to influence policy and planning at a high level.” |
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