19 year old in charge of Children’s Services for Leicestershire Council

Have you ever considered looking for a chip for your other shoulder?

Council Officers run things.

Being Cabinet Member just means you answer the question on it in council meetings - the officers prepare everything for you.

Having been a Councillor for a big London Borough many, many years ago, it's really more of a case that you are the point of contact for constituents with problems, but you're a go between rather than the person who does the actual work.

So nope, wouldn't bother me at all - I've met Cllrs who could barely spell their own names, so thick they thought the disk drive in their new computer was a cup-holder (I am not joking), ones that couldn't speak any English, the bone idle and the 'so old they make Biden look like a teenager' who couldn't stay awake in meetings! 19 is the least of the possible downsides.

His Private school education is unlikley to help him make decisions on helping SEND children and Looked after children with any experience of the issues they face

The Director is responsible for the budget. If the budget gets out of control it will be her head that rolls.

This happened to my old Director of Social Services. Nothing happened to the Cabinet member with this portfolio.

Actually I was shadow portfolio for children’s, but still…

As I understand it, the Cabinet sets the budget and the Director of Children's Services is responsible for delivering within the budget that they set.

As the Cabinet lead for this area, I would expect this young man to have a fair amount of influence. Along with his Andrew-Tate-fan/sacked policeman colleagues.

I was a councillor from 2010-2022 and for a short time held the children and education portfolios. I soon realised I was out of my depth. The size, importance and complexity of this portfolio, the legal ramifications and the time involved are incredible. What does a 50 year old who has no background in Fostering, adoption, youth justice, sen and children’s care know?

This councillor may be young, but being young is no qualification for running this portfolio. Yes, officer of the council will prepare briefings relating to decisions, but the buck stops with the portfolio holder. In the end it isn’t this councillor’s fault. The leader appointed him to the role based upon “he’s young so he will understand childish issues” (sic).

this is a decision that shows contempt for the parents of Leicestershire.

He's not in charge of multi million pound budgets. The Director of Children's Services is, under the democratic oversight of the full Council.

Well yeah cos Tice and co have all the appeal of a soggy turd, not to mention a lack of intelligence.

As someone who for many years has had to work with over privileged, private schooled nepo hires, I’m fairly sure he will stick around for a couple of years, do what he’s told by the experienced public servants and then be shifted sideways into whatever role his parents can influence.

The damage that has been done to the education system and all the various areas that fall within that has been done by people old enough to know better and choose not to do better.

Well Alexander the Great was successfully conquering the world at that age, you never know. He might do ok.

Reform is a one-man-band outfit, and he is trading on that. Hopefully the er...'glitter' will have fallen off the big leader before the actual next election.

lol most people I knew thought Mhairi Black was a big Ned.

Indeed, but the civil service doesn't tend to put 19yos without any experience in charge of multi million pound budgets.

The entire civil service is based on shuffling people about to areas they know nothing about but are expected to pick up expertise in.

I would ask for evidence wherever I thought that someone was deliberately seeking to misrepresented the truth, wouldn't you?

At the last GE, posters on this website were adamant about “getting the tories out”. Well, the tories are out of this council - this is what so many people said they wanted so badly. So, enjoy?

Ah yes, this. My favourite post on this topic was when a MNetter said, ' There is no need to use the word moron when you can say idiot instead.'

And there we have it.

Activists have resurrected the lost meaning of the word moron, and decided to 'educate' people on it, just so that they can recouple the meaning to the word, entirely for the purpose of manufacturing outrage at its use.

I find this a senseless endeavour.

So you carry on using the words you want to and I will use the words I want to.

Did I say otherwise

Most sane people would ask for evidence, yes. Hard to believe I know

Love how people throw "leftie" around like it's an insult. Mega lolz

Would you ask for that if it was one of your beloved leftie parties?

You don't give someone a chance by giving them strategic responsibility for something they know nothing about. You do it by building up their expertise and by letting them shadow people.
Mhari Black was young when she became an MP but she didn't have a role where she had to make strategic decisions.

In what way?

I think this is unforgivable. It’s obvious they think the role is just “bum on seat”. The utter contempt for the SEND population is revolting. I could cry.