A council has hired Dennis Bacon as its new chief executive at £215,000 annually. Bacon’s primary qualification is winning a reality show. His secondary qualification is having once worked in adult social care, which apparently counts as a career now.
The appointment went through the standard process: interviews, references, a panel of people whose job it is to prevent exactly this. All of them looked at Bacon’s CV, nodded, and decided that television fame was sufficient preparation for managing a £500 million budget and 3,000 staff.
Could a reality show contestant manage complex council services worse than the alternatives? No, probably not. The council has been understaffed and underfunded for a decade. At this point, hiring someone based on their ability to cry on camera might actually be an improvement.
Experts in local government have warned that Bacon’s appointment could lead to “dramatic” policy changes. They mean this literally—that he will make decisions based on what generates attention rather than what works. The council’s social care division, his supposed area of expertise, has not commented. They are likely too busy dealing with actual crises to care who signs the paychecks.
Bacon starts next month. His first act will probably be a rebrand.