'Tiny' Alderney civil service is not up to challenges
ALDERNEY'S civil service is 'tiny' for the challenges it faces today and in years to come, an independent report has warned, with a lack of middle managers.
The Good Governance Report, by the Constitution Unit at University College London, which was commissioned by the States of Alderney, said the grading structure in the civil service was in the 'shape of an hourglass'.
It warned there was just one post in the middle ranks and if speed was to be part of Alderney's 'competitive advantage' it was hard to imagine how this was to be achieved with the current grading structure.
The report said it was equally the case that certain positions were overloaded.
'We will take just two examples,' said the report. 'The CEO has all the leadership responsibilities one would expect of such an office and he must deliver the support required of him by the States.
'So far, so unexceptional, but he also has personal responsibility for a number of economic development portfolios. This is neither desirable nor sustainable.
'The second example is the executive officer post – the only one in the middle ranks of the grading structure.
'The point is perhaps best made simply by listing her responsibilities – direct support for the CEO; HR; emergency planning; business planning; support to States committees; and information management.
'None of these is a discretionary function for any organisation, but they cannot be discharged satisfactorily by one individual, however hard she works.'
