Islington Tribune - by MARK BLUNDEN Published: 17 August 2007
Town Hall is thrown out of contest
RED-FACED Town Hall officials have been forced to withdraw from a top 100 companies competition after it emerged they were offering free holidays to staff who participated in a survey.
Islington Council was banned from the Sunday Times list after admitting staff had been promised time off in an email circular.
The list showcases companies that have the best employee conditions in the country.
But the Town Hall’s stunt meant it was ineligible for entry this year.
Lib Dem councillor John Gilbert, Islington’s social services chief, said: “We did initially offer an incentive of a day’s extra holiday for one respondent picked at random, to those taking part in the survey. This is standard practice for internal staff surveys run by Islington Council and is in no way intended to compromise the quality or confidentiality of the response to Best Companies. “However, we have been told that even an incentive to participate breached the rules for this particular survey. “I am very disappointed that we have now been asked to withdraw from the survey and would like to thank those staff who have taken the time to complete the questionnaire.”