Seasoned by his experiences at Lincolnshire CC, where he was chief executive, David Bowles has taken on another challenge as an interim, running a crisis-hit Welsh authority, Bridgend CBC, with the aim of turning the organisation round. He talks to Suzanne Cumberbatch about his programme for change Describing Bridgend CBC as a council which has suffered a few setbacks would be seen by many as something of an understatement. The council has been blighted with claims of electoral fraud and financial mismanagement, a matter now in the hands of the police. The huge pay-off of the former chief executive, Keri Lewis, dominated the local press. And the E-coli outbreak affecting many of the boroughs’ schools last year did little to lighten the nightmare load. But in the past couple of months, Bridgend has seen a turnaround by bringing on board interim chief executive, David Bowles, former Lincolnshire chief executive, who has already set in motion a radical restructure of the council. This week the council begins its search for a permanent chief executive (see The MJ Jobs). When The MJ meets Mr Bowles, he is relaxed confident and clear of the job he’s been given. ‘When I was brought in, the council was portrayed as being one step away from formal corporate intervention from the Welsh Assembly. This is certainly not the case.’ One of the main problems he has identified lies with officers, rather than the elected members. There also seems to have been a failure to modernise since reorganisation in 1996. ‘There is a residual lack of creating a feel of one council,’ he says. ‘And there is no decisive leadership, which has led to a series of incidents, leading in turn to a breakdown between officers and councillors.’ Referring to the situation he faced in Lincolnshire CC, where he blew the whistle on the leader who sought to influence a planning decision for personal gain, he says the situation in Bridgend is much easier to solve. ‘That was a breakdown of relations with members. Here, the problem is with officers, which is a situation the new chief executive can tackle – and solve.’ He adds that the new chief also needs to turn around the council’s lack of drive and ambition. ‘However,’ he points out, ‘the council has divested itself of its housing stock, has outsourced its waste collection, and has a joint initiative with Neath Port Talbot over its waste disposal. So, it can be bold and imaginative when it gets its act together.’ Mr Bowles has, during his brief time at Bridgend, started the task of rebuilding relations and managing the ‘political interface’. He has also been working hard to articulate ambitions for the council, begin realigning roles and responsibilities, and getting a performance-management culture embedded in the organisation. ‘Wales misses out by not having a tougher performance regime,’ he says. ‘The situation here may not have happened if performance management was tougher. I’m not particularly a fan of comprehensive performance assessments, but they have had a good impact.’ He says the new structured council must be innovative, must drive a bold change agenda, and must be at the forefront of innovative working with other councils and the private sector. Mr Bowles is confident for the future, stating the right new chief executive and executive director of resources can restore Bridgend’s profile and reputation relatively quickly. The ability of the council to face up to its problems by calling the WLGA to offer assistance has also impressed Mr Bowles. ‘There is an openness and honesty within the council, and people are taking a fair share of the blame where things have gone wrong, and working to put them right. ‘We can’t turn the council round overnight, but the incoming chief executive will be given free reign to sort the problems out and accelerate Bridgend.’ And leader of the council, Cheryl Green adds: ‘We’re looking for someone innovative, energetic and enthusiastic to further David’s work. He’s turned a sense of negativity into a ‘can-do, will-do’ approach. ‘There has been a failure to tackle problems corporately in the past. We now need a corporate thrust and this change has already begun. ‘We are now very well aware of what we are looking for in our new chief executive, and feel positive we will get the right person,’ she says. n l See The MJ Jobs
