Apples and oranges

SHETLAND Islands Council chief executive Alistair Buchan said comparing the authority with its neighbour in Orkney was like comparing apples with oranges.

He was commenting after Orkney Islands Council announced a radical management restructure creating just four executive directors and 13 heads of service working under chief executive Albert Tait.

In comparison the SIC management restructure ended up with five directors and 32 executive managers.

Mr Buchan was OIC chief executive before taking up a temporary contract to implement an improvement plan at the SIC following the highly critical Accounts Commission report into management and governance at the authority.

His contract is due to end next year when he is expected to return to Orkney, though no announcement has been made about his future plans.

This week he said people should not make the mistake of comparing the two organisations.

“I am fully aware of the comparisons in management structures.  Every council is different in terms of its local circumstances and I know from experience that you have to be very careful not to compare apples with oranges,” he said.

OIC convener Stephen Hagan said he was happy that the appointment process of new executive directors and heads of service had been completed.

“All have demonstrated a strong commitment to the council’s primary role – the delivery of high quality services for the people of Orkney. I feel confident that the council is well placed to do that in the years ahead.”

One of the new recruits in Orkney is Fraser Bell, who at 26 is perhaps the youngest head of legal at a local authority in the country.

Mr Bell is the son of former Shetland area police commander Malcolm Bell and has been working on temporary contracts at the SIC recently. This is his first full time appointment.