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I am still bothered by the BBC 10 o'clock news last Thursday night. A lengthy item on Birmingham Council's plans to outsource IT jobs to India, and the council refused to comment which the reporter made a point of saying on air. Obviously critics and unions were quoted extensively. The council has now issued a statement, which appears to have happened after millions had watched the BBC piece. The council explained that up to 60 vacant and temporary jobs might be outsourced to India. This differs substantially from the "up to 100" quoted by the BBC. Birmingham is a good council facing major challenges and its actions are hugely important for the local government community. We have to understand that in a 24/7 news, communicated, wired, tweeted world people expect communication and more than that they demand a conversation with the people who make decisions. No comment was always a last resort that had to be used sparingly as a response to enquiries from journalists where the answer would reveal legal facts, compromise safeguarding responsibilities or divulge other sensitive personal information. It will usually lead the viewer or reader of such a comment from a public authority to conclude that the organisation has something to hide and thereby damage trust in the organisation. Surely Birmingham could have provided some sort of speedy answer from "we are considering every way to protect jobs and secure value for money" to "we are engaged in a difficult programme of service cuts which require us to consider radical options to secure the best services for the people of Birmingham". The truth is probably that the press office wanted to comment and provide a spokesman but the approval process of the council, ground too slowly for the BBC news. And so another opportunity to explain to the public about the challenges we all face was lost.

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FINANCE

No longer a world for "no comment"

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