Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Public taking on new staff
Monday 16th November 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
Controversial Black Country arts centre The Public was today advertising for five high-profile managers with salaries of up to £49,000 – despite a damning report that revealed its future is in doubt.
The £72 million project, which is running £49m over budget, has been the subject of an audit report which revealed it should be mothballed, decommissioned or even demolished.
But the West Bromwich building was today described as a “fantastic state-of-the-art community arts centre” in an advertisement in The Guardian.
Bosses are looking to fill the following positions:
* Head of Arts Programmes with an annual salary of £46,149 – £49,039
* Business Manager for £37,206 – £41,616 a year
* Marketing and Communications Manager for £31,754 – £36,313
* Exhibitions Manager with a salary of £31,754 – £36,313
* Learning and Community manager for £31,754 – £36,313
The advertisement described The Public as having a “exciting and challenging” future, with bosses wanting “to create a venue that consistently excites the imagination, raises expectations and makes people smile”.
Sandwell Council has taken over the project after the Arts Council walked away earlier this year, handing the authority a final £3m of funding. Borough regeneration chief, Councillor Bob Badham, told the Express & Star today: “Whatever I say, it will be a bad news story.
“All I am prepared to say is these jobs were in the business plan that was approved by the Arts Council.”
According to the advert, the head of arts job would include “developing an artistic vision for The Public”, while the learning and community manager would be “responsible for developing an innovative approach to community learning”.
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yet again the councilors of sandwell are throwing other peoples money at an iconic white elephant that is continuing to make the west bromwich area the butt of too many jokes. instead of advertising for these high paid jobs how about finding someone to teach sandwell council 2 important lessons how to keep to abudget and how to listen to its residents
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It seems this fiasco of a building is more important to the council than schools, hospitals, special needs schools, OAP homes. This building is a total joke we only have to look at the Dome in London, or the large centre they built in Sheffield to realise these buildings are some clowns dreams that are totally unrealistic.
Why don’t they just stop throwning good money after bad and close the thing down, its not going to work.
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Seriously now, someone needs to step in and stop this scandal. This is the equivalent of children playing with fireworks.
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GIS A JOB I will do any one of those jobs for about £26000 and so would a lot of others.
Get real sandwell!
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I have got an idea. Why not pay for this white elephant by fining people who feed the ducks !!!!
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I hope the jobs have also been advertised democratically in Sandwell’s twin towns of Blanc Mesnil and Amritsar ! I suspect that these salaries are about twice what is being paid in the Forum in Blanc Mesnil-please check.Not surprising that you get people thinking that the UK is the new Eldorado.
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no swimming pools in west brom.no sports facilities of note,nothing for unemployed kids to do but they always find money for this useless monstrosity.just about sums up Sandwell council!they will still be voted in at the next election!i despair.
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And, what will these managers do for their money besides attending meetings, drink coffee. Will they actually manage anything. What a total waste of money and typical of a Public Body, no idea how to manage money. Get rid of the plebs who agreed to employ these new people, they are costing the tax payer far too much money.
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Wot? No ‘equality and diversity’ officers?
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I would hope that if these wages are to be paid then these employees have to prove themselves in a short space of time. They must be able to turn around the business and start to make the place pay. I have my doubts that it will pay, but I hope there is someone around to keep an eye on these managers. We don’t want any more milking of public money do we?
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Oh dear, oh dear.
Clearly the vision and ethics of Sandwell council are reflective of a world that is not of the majority that walks the litter ridden streets of the Black Country. Yes, I’m very supportive of improving the environment in which we live, there can only be value to be gained by this brave & optimistic ‘project’, but as usual it is sadly wasted on the majority. Ultimately, the people of Sandwell should had been given the choice, but sadly because the majority dont turn out to vote, what do you expect – Nietzsche had a point…
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Looking at the job titles suggests more than a lavish job creation scheme has been applied and that three of these jobs at least seem to have more than overlapping roles. As already suggested the by previous posters, the proposed annual bill of £178617 – £199594 does not reflect the return to the general public (excuse the pun)expected. Nor should we accept the salary figures as these will not include employers costs ref NI etc. Perhaps when the new leader of the council is elected we might see a change in policy….or must we wait for the polls?
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To Kentuckywolf,
The problem is when the public vote and make it known they didn’t want the Public our councillors who know better than us mere mortals ignore our protests.
If i want to see art, antiques etc i go to Birmingham Museum, or trains and trams the science museum, if i want to see more i go to the Tate.
As stated the Public was some clowns dream who doesn’t care where the money comes from even the Arts Council know its a bloody failure as they have bailed out but not the clowns in the council. Any chance of anybody knocking some sense into them. Forget i said that it would never work.
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Sandwell Labour Council. Ranked one of the fourth worst in the country.
If you are one of those who voted them in, hang your head in shame. What a disgrace they are to all the hard working people of Sandwell.
Sandwell borough is filthy and deprived. What have Labour done to improve that?
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Hey up ain’t we all missing a very important point???? Shouldn’t we be pleased that 4 more people will get local jobs??? Why has the jobs been reported about in a negative light?
The building is here and here to stay so shouldn’t we all get behind it and the new Managers and help the building support itself in the future?
The Public is wonderful inside and is a credit to every tax payer in Sandwell and will succeed!
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i would do any of those jobs for 25k.will i get a hand out when it all goes t*** up.wish i was incharge of sandwel cus i would sack all of them with high salaries and start again.and they would not leave with a golden handshake,i would have working class people from local streets and roads to make choices.power to the people not the dictators.you no what i mean .dudley council to are you listening?
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Have you seen the people who walk West brom high street? Do they look a cultured lot interested in anything the slightest bit artsy? Would Primark not have been a better investment? I rest my case.
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Wouldn’t it be better to spend the money on the Public by actually putting something in it. Currently there is little or nothing within this White Elephant to interest anybody.
Here’s an idea for what to put in the gallery…How about actually having some Art?
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all I want for christmas ….. just two things…
1) a committment from Sandwell to protect what is left of the glass industy and remaining culture of making in the area (and not forcing new pretend culture upon us)
2)turning the public into a swimming pool (so it is actually some use)
…..There I’ve said it!
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I’ve been to the public for several events and had a great time. Ive seen the programme and theyre working hard to interest people. Particularly liking the filma and music events they’ve got going. Perhaps its not the place and whats happening in it thats the problem. Its the West Brom people and perhaps overpaid and underused job positions. Council always loves to make jobs not needed, and hire people completley useless to fill them.
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Phil sadly that’s the case, well to be more accurate they don’t get voted in they get in by default because people in Sandwell don’t vote.
I can never understand why grown adults like supporting a council like Sandwell Labour Council, many of them are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, struggling to feed and cloth their family, yet they enjoy paying their council tax knowing its just going to be wasted on ego boosting monstrosities like the Public, and as you say Phil, if there was an election tomorrow the people struggling would proudly sit back in their armchairs declaring that they didn’t vote “because they are all the same” “because they don’t listen” because you only see them at election time” and any other excuse they can use, when what they really mean is they cant be bothered to stand up for themselves and prefer to leave it to other to try and change the system, they would rather see wealthy councillors having their money than seeing it spent on trying to provide for their own kids, I thought the Brits had guts once, certainly not now.
Jim of Bearwood
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There are some people in Sandwell who are genuinely interested in art, but the real artists can be found in the pubs.
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The public was majority funded by the arts council – not sandwell, whats wrong with the local area being given an iconic building at NO loss to the taxpayer? birmingham has the custard factory and various subsidised arts projects. Face it, black country people just love to moan and whinge about everything, its in our culture. Instead of getting behind this project and being excited about its future, helping to make it a success!
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Dee your comment “The public was majority funded by the arts council – not sandwell, whats wrong with the local area being given an iconic building at NO loss to the taxpayer”
Gordon Brown doesn’t have any money to give towards “The Public” the Queen doesn’t have any money to give towards “The Public” so where do you think it comes from? The fairies? A money tree?
Here is my suggestion of where the money comes from, people go to work, they get paid a pittance after they have paid tax on their earnings, when they spend that pittance they have to pay tax on the money they spend and all that tax then goes into a fund controlled by the government, the government after giving enormous amounts of our hard earned money away to third world countries, often this funding is used to support civil war in those countries Google “The Warlords Next Door” that tells how Gordon Browns Government is paying money to Somalia.
But out of what’s left, to ease the governments conscience, and because they are making us pay 70pence in the pound tax on our fuel, they give The Arts Council a sum of money, is it becoming clearer now Dee?
Jim of Bearwood.
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Dee. The arts council has not generated any money as an arts council. It has however been given money to spend on projects by the government via tax payers money. No loss too the tax payer? Thats a laugh Dee.
This building cost a lot of money that will never be recouped in the long run. It was a waste of money that could have been spent on better things for the people of Sandwell. How can we get excited about it? The building itself is a monstrocity and the architects should be shot. 60 million pounds and for what?
I could get excited about my kids school getting more money to spend on their education. More computers and software to extend their education needs.
I could get excited about our kids getting free school healthy meals. But alas…60 million pounds wouldn’t really have helped…would it?
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