Perth and Kinross Council Exceeds a Target, Staff Unsure What to Do Next
Affordable housing programme 'beats expectations', causing confusion, celebration and one person to lie down in a cupboard.
Council staff gather around a printout of the target, which has been exceeded.
PERTH — Perth and Kinross Council was thrown into unfamiliar territory this week after its affordable housing programme was found to have exceeded its targets, leaving many staff unsure how to react.
“We’ve got procedures for missing a target,” said Corporate Performance Officer Gillian Moncrieff, 46, flicking through a binder labelled ‘Contingencies, Vol. IX’. “We’ve got procedures for nearly hitting a target, for re-profiling a target and for quietly deleting a target from the website. But exceeding one? There’s just a blank page with ‘See Line Manager’ on it. And he’s off.”
Staff in the housing department reportedly first realised what had happened on Monday morning, when a junior officer double-checked the figures, gasped, and had to be helped to the kitchen.
“She just kept saying, ‘It’s more. It’s more than we said,'” recalled a colleague. “Someone put the kettle on. Someone else rang the Courier, then hung up because they didn’t know what to say. Brian from Facilities went and lay down in the stationery cupboard. He’s still in there. We think he’s fine.”
Celebrations have been muted, partly out of habit. “We had a small party,” said Moncrieff. “There was a cake, but we weren’t sure if we were allowed to eat it, so we put it out for consultation. It closes in 12 weeks.”
Tenants, meanwhile, appear unfazed. “Good,” said one. “Now fix the guttering on our block. That’s a target too, you know.”
Political observers believe the news could have wider implications. “If one target can be exceeded, maybe others can,” said a local commentator. “Bins. Potholes. Broxden. This could be the start of something. Or it could be a typo. Either way, it’s the most exciting thing to happen in the building since the lift worked.”
The real story: PKC news: 'Ambitious affordable housing programme exceeds targets'
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