Monitoring Officer Report April 2018 LocalGovernmentLawyer 9 heart of the council's decision-making, which is an essential element of the MO's role," said one. Another expressed a similar view: "One key requirement is to be involved in senior management decision making - I can't see how this can be done without being an employee." But a quarter of respondents (26%) did not consider it is particularly important for the monitoring officer to be an employee of the council, while one in ten (10%) said that not being an employee it could be an advantage. Among the benefits would be the provision of a fresh pair of eyes. The monitoring officer might also less concerned about the potential for conflict in situations where they have to give unwelcome advice or they are working in very political environments, and where the personal employment risks are obvious. "Being an MO is not a career enhancing role at times when you have to speak truth unto power," pointed out one respondent. One respondent with experience of working for a council through an agency on an interim basis, agreed it was "important that the MO is embedded within the organisation and understands the politics, personalities, nuances etc.," but suggested that employment status was "not crucial" for this. What is important, stressed one respondent, is that "there is sufficient gravitas of the MO, not whether they are an employee". A practical knowledge of how local government works is seen as a prerequisite. Risk vs reward Is it all worth it? A majority of monitoring officers (61%) are of the view that the rewards of the role still outweigh the risk. But it must be a concern that such a large percentage (some 39%) feel that they do not. One of the respondents who gave "a qualified yes" to this question said the role confers authority, status and power, but they echoed fears expressed elsewhere in the survey about the downgrading of the role to the third or fourth tier of senior management. "This means less reward for increasing levels of risk." Another suggested that the monitoring officer "plays a key role in making things happen….provided that [they have] the appropriate relationships/support from the chief executive and the s.151 officer". Another said the monitoring officer "should not have to take on the world singlehandedly". On the plus side is the often varied and stimulating nature of the work. One monitoring officer said they liked "the challenge of solving an impossible puzzle", although they did add that "for rational, sane people [it's] not worth the risk!" There is a common view, however, that the financial rewards for acting as monitoring officer are not commensurate to the responsibilities. "The pay is pitiful," said one respondent. Another wrote: "From recent rounds of recruitment, salaries on offer for a monitoring officer or deputy monitoring officer are reducing and offer little incentive to make the move into these roles." There is plenty of evidence that when a monitoring officer leaves the role, their deputy is promoted but without receiving any significant additional remuneration. Future imperfect So what does the future hold for monitoring officers? A number of respondents pointed to there being a greater emphasis on council decision- making than dealing with complaints about conduct. This is an age of more risk-based decisions, "particularly around investments and the need to derive income and the pressures this brings to be more commercial". Monitoring officers will also have to improve their familiarity with what good governance looks like for the different models of delivery, whether they involve private companies, regional bodies or other structures. There is a danger, however, of the monitoring officer "becoming the poster boy/girl for all of the difficult decisions",