Manners vows to slash 'bureaucratic madness' ...

Excerpt from the Chronicle:

Manners vows to slash 'bureaucratic madness'

22 December 2007

Snow Manners has vowed to take the knife to the proposed bureaucracy of the new council, should he be elected mayor.

The Local Transition Committee met in Millmerran this week and approved seven service centres across the region as well as an extra three departments.

"The new structure.....takes into account the rural dimension of the new council with specific urban and rural sections in the construction and maintenance and development assessment areas," proponents argue.

Mayoral candidate Mr Manners, however, describes elements of the changes as "bureaucratic madness".

"Obviously the seven regional council offices need to remain open as branches of the Regional Council to provide all the services those communities are used to," he said.

"However, a further three departments and 14 branches in Toowoomba is bureaucratic madness."

"If ratepayers are to derive any benefit from amalgamations then the council structure must be lean and consistent with modern business practices."

"I am surprised at the need to create new administrative positions and it smacks of empire building."

Mr Manners said he feared "country towns" would lose skilled staff to Toowoomba.

The new structure, including service centres at Clifton, Crows Nest/Highfields, Goombungee/Yarraman, Greenmount, Millmerran, Oakey and Pittsworth can be rejected by the elected council after March 15.

Interim chief executive officer Philip Spencer said: "The new district services directorate will ensure water, engineering, development, environment and community, and administrative services are easily accessible to rural and outlying residents."

See - Manners to slash bureaucratic madness.