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£50k directors ‘good value’ says regeneration body chief
THREE directors wanted by a Finsbury regeneration body will offer “good value for money” despite each being paid £50,000 a year, says the organisation’s chief executive.
It was revealed this week that EC1 New Deal for Communities (NDC), which has £52.9 million of government money to help Finsbury, is creating the trio of top-flight posts.
Andy Murphy, head of EC1 New Deal, says the directors will barter for the best deals and tap top City firms for extra cash to help the area’s poor and work experience for Finsbury’s youngsters.
He defended the decision to pay them each £50,000 a year over the next two years.
New Deal has created the ambiguous-sounding directors’ posts of ‘liveability’, ‘life opportunities’ and ‘community development’.
Mr Murphy said: “We need people who can go out there and negotiate.
“These people will have experience and certain qualities but they are not bureaucrats and are going to be out there engaging with politicians, residents and companies.”
The appointment of the directors follows a row over the latest EC1 New Deal board, which is directly appointed rather than publicly elected.
But Mr Murphy said the new-style board and the three extra directors are vital to ensuring that New Deal’s legacy lives on past its 2011 sell-by date. The chief executive alluded to “restructuring” within the organisation.
He would not elaborate further but assured that this did not mean redundancies.
Mr Murphy admitted EC1 New Deal has been unsuccessful in delivering change to the people of Finsbury but was adamant that he now wants the organisation to be “one of the most successful NDCs in the country.”
Opposition Labour councillor Paul Convery said: “I think the big problem here us that the NDC has performed very, very poorly in the past five years.
“They are now in an enormous hurry how to deliver their promises.
“But EC1 New Deal is now no longer community-led. It is regeneration being done to the people, not by them. They hand-picked the board.”
Councillor Terry Stacy, Islington’s deputy council leader, said: “We’re pleased that EC1 New Deal will now have a strong team of new directors, who will get the best results from the money the government is investing in this part of Islington. Their salaries need to be enough to attract people with proven experience and skills.” |
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