The Ofcom Gravy Train, where after three or four years its various supremely ineffective and cynical directors clear off to even higher paid work elsewhere, continues to roll.

Not content with £200k a year or so at Ofcom Sean Williams, Ofcom's alleged Director of Competition is now pushing off to be an even higher paid role as Executive Director of Markets and Projects at the OFT.

See www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2007/02/nr_20070201

So an individual who has been notable for his total failure to ensure any form of competition or proper price disclosure for the UK consumer in the UK non geographic numbers marketplace and over issues such as Patientline is now becoming a director at an organisation entirely responsible for ensuring competition and fair trading in the UK.  As ever with these large QUANGOs they fail to hire the person with the best motivation for doing the work concerned and instead play safe with selecting another established but complacent and incompetent bureaucrat with a glossy looking CV.

So in short order the principal architects of Ofcom's total incompetence in letting us down on 084/7 numbers, namely messrs Stephen Carter, Kip Meek and Sean Williams are all clearing off elsewhere ::)

I suppose the only hope for us 084/7 campaigners is that Messrs Ed Richards and co may now be able to revisit the whole 084/7 issue and do the right thing this time while blaming the previous failings on their now ex Ofcom former colleagues.

But it comes as little consolation to consumers fleeced over 084/7 numbers that those primarily responsible for this outrage are themselves coining it all the way to the bank.

i very much doubt that he's going to earn a payrise.

according to this website

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/PublicSectorRichList.pdf

he earned £252k at Ofcom, the same as the chief executive at the OFT.

maybe he's moving because he's attracted to... non-financial aspects of the role? like consumer protection?

TFP wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2007 at 5:37pm:

i very much doubt that he's going to earn a payrise. according to this website http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/PublicSectorRichList.pdf he earned £252k at Ofcom, the same as the chief executive at the OFT. maybe he's moving because he's attracted to... non-financial aspects of the role? like consumer protection?

Perhaps a sideways move then because there is a clash between Sean Williams and new Ofcom CEO Ed Richards?  After all Sean Williams did also apply for the Ofcom CEO role too.

As to protecting citizen consumers there seem to have been plenty of opportunities for Mr Williams to achieve just that at Ofcom as Director of Competition if he had focused his attentions on Ofcom's primary duty to protect the citzien consumer under part 3 (i) of the Communications Act 2003 rather than its lesser duties not to regulate disproportionately in a way that interferes with the efficient operation of business.  In my view when there is a tension between those two duties then the requirement to protect the UK citizen consumer from abuse should win out but Ofcom consistently hasn't seen things that way.  Their deregulation of BT line rental prices and call costs which has brought about a 5% rise in line rental costs industry wide and a 20% increase in the minimum call charge is surely the last straw. :o >:( :'(

TFP wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2007 at 5:37pm:

according to http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/PublicSectorRichList.pdf he earned £252k at Ofcom, the same as the chief executive at the OFT.?

That list makes for truly shocking reading when it comes to Ofcom senior staff, who are mainly non entities who achieve virtually nothing of creative value for the UK economy.

Their pay levels are basically comparable with people on the Executive board of the BBC, who have a range of responsibilities far more akin to a private sector company than a bureaucratic, incompetent and bungling regulator like Ofcom.  It seems the only reason for merging several other regulatory bodies together in telecoms and broadcasting was to make it possible to pay the senior executives totally exorbitant salaries.

~ Edited by Dave: Quote box corrected

NGMsGhost wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2007 at 5:49pm:

...Perhaps a sideways move then because there is a clash between Sean Williams and new Ofcom CEO Ed Richards?  After all Sean Williams did also apply for the Ofcom CEO role too...

Sounds sensible, i'd imagine that, upon Carter handing in his resignation, all three of his most senior deputies [meek, williams, & richards] went for his post and it was a given that unsuccessful applicants wouldn't be hanging around for too long.

NGMsGhost wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2007 at 5:58pm:

...That list makes for truly shocking reading when it comes to Ofcom senior staff, who are mainly non entities who achieve virtually nothing of creative value for the UK economy...

A couple seem fair, I mean Carter was a recognised high-flyer who will certainly have gone on to earn far more in his new post.

Others much less so...

I mean, Rona Chester, Finance Director, £178k, what on earth does an Ofcom Finance Director do, put her initials on a few expense forms, order toilet rolls, that kind of thing? Her salary being higher than that of Ch4's FD seems rather odd.

As for Sandra Jenner, HR Director, £211k, I mean how many employees does Ofcom have, 500, maybe 800 tops? If Ofcom was a blue chip private sector company with several times that headcount, surely over £200k is a very hefty money for a HR person? I note that Kevin White, Human Resources Director General at DWP, which I think employs over 13,000 people, is on £176k.

~ Edit by Dave: Quote box corrected

TFP wrote on Feb 3^rd, 2007 at 7:01pm:

A couple seem fair, I mean Carter was a recognised high-flyer who will certainly have gone on to earn far more in his new post.

Carter may have been a business high flyer (although COO of loss making NTL Is not that high surely) but he seems to have been totally unfitted to understand the public interest remit of Ofcom having consistently ighored Ofcom's primary duty to protect the citizen consumer in favour of maximising the profitability of various business interests run by important friend of New Labour.  Ditto Ofcom has consistently shored up BT's monopoly over fixed line rental in non cable areas by insisting that people rent a phone line from BT if all they want is a broadband service.  I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that Carter was pushed rather than deciding to jump ship, although obviously it has been agreed that it will be presented as being his choice.  I get the impression that Ed Richards does have a rather better understanding of the public interest.


Quote:

I mean, Rona Chester, Finance Director, £178k, what on earth does an Ofcom Finance Director do, put her initials on a few expense forms, order toilet rolls, that kind of thing? Her salary being higher than that of Ch4's FD seems rather odd

Yes you are absolutely right aren't you.  Finance Director of Ofcom is a position of no significant responsibility whatsoever.  It isn't a PLC try to make a profit with all sorts of weighty and business critical decisions falling on the Finance Director's shoulders.  Its just a glorified Office Manager job.


Quote:

As for Sandra Jenner, HR Director, £211k, I mean how many employees does Ofcom have, 500, maybe 800 tops? If Ofcom was a blue chip private sector company with several times that headcount, surely over £200k is a very hefty money for a HR person?

And look at the staff they have, especially in their Ofcom contact centre.  Most of them are pretty useless.  And having met Sean Williams I was not at all impressed.  A style conscious buck passer with no passionate remit whatsoever to create a more competitive telecoms and broadcasting market for the UK citizen consumer.

As to applying for Stephen Carter's job my understanding is that Kip Meek did not do so and had already made clear his intention to leave for pastures new. So it was only Richards and Williams of the internal candidates and Williams lost.  Of course perhaps Sean Williams can see the writing on the wall with the Conservatives winning the next election and sweeping away half of the currently bloated and unnecessary Ofcom apparatus.................

And don't forget Dominic Morris.  An office manager of the CEO's office on over £200k a year.  A pleasant chap when I spoke to him a couple of years ago but undoubtedly paid at least double what he ought to be getting.