Council job listing criticised as 'manipulative'

The advertisement of a job for someone to "convince the public" of a new council system for Gloucestershire has been criticised as "manipulative".

Gloucester City Council (GCC) is hiring a communications officer to help promote the idea of creating a "thriving Greater Gloucester", as three reorganisation options are considered for the county's council structure.

Stephanie Chambers, leader of the Conservative group on GCC, has submitted a formal complaint for the advertisement to be withdrawn.

Jeremy Hilton, Liberal Democrat leader of the council, said the post would help inform residents and involve them in the reorganisation.

At the moment, Gloucestershire is a two tier authority, meaning council services are split between the county and districts, The Local Democracy Reporting Service explains.

One option, preferred by Gloucestershire County Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council, is for the whole county to become a single unitary authority with a population of about 650,000.

The second option, put forward by five of the county's seven MPs, is to create two unitary councils, broadly divided between east and west.

And then there is a third option, being put forward by Mr Hilton, which has been described as the Gloucester doughnut.

This involves creating a Greater Gloucester authority comprised of the city and surrounding villages in the "hole" of the doughnut. A second authority would then be created in the outer "ring" of the doughnut.

The communications role at Gloucester City Council to promote the third option has a listed salary of between £32,115 and £35,235.

Ms Chambers said of the advertisement: "This isn't communication, it is manipulation.

"The use of the word 'convince' in the job description says it all.

"This role isn't about informing and listening to residents' opinions, it's about spinning a narrative and selling a political agenda using public money."

Labour group leader Terry Pullen said he was also astonished by the job listing.

"The salary for this brand new job will be £35,000 but we do not know how this is going to be paid for, other than coming from council taxpayers' money," he added.

Mr Hilton said the role would inform, engage and involve residents in a conversation which would shape Gloucester's future.

"The Greater Gloucester proposal is one of several options being explored in a county-wide conversation around local government reorganisation.

"With all the discussions so far about local government reorganisation, not one proposal has involved asking the public what they think.

"We believe Gloucester deserves better."

The three options have been suggested in response to a call from Local Government Minister Jim McMahon in February 2025 for ideas on how a single tier council structure could be established.

All councils involved in local government reorganisation have until November to submit more detailed proposals.

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