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p3
 The top job at Hackney Council is probably one
of the hottest potatoes in British local government. Constantly scrutinised by a largely
hostile media, criticised by local taxpayers and one of the first targets for the
government’s education ‘hit squads’, the Council is usually in the news.
The fact that no political party has overall control also creates an image of a lack of
direction.
The sudden departure of the Chief Executive Tony Elliston last March left a large gap that
had to be filled quickly. The post was then abolished (‘deleted’ in local
government jargon) and replaced by an Interim Managing Director. The person appointed to
take on this huge responsibility was a Stoke Newington resident, Sarah Ebanja.
Sarah was born in North London. Her father is from the West African country of Cameroon
and her mother is white British. She went to nursery in Manor House and primary school in
Newington Green. After a short time in Devon she spent most of her childhood in Eynsham,
an Oxfordshire village best known for having one of the last remaining toll bridges in
Britain. Her secondary school was Witney Grammar. Stoke Newington became her home again
when she moved here in 1977 to work for the Inland Revenue in Finsbury Park. She has a son
Grant, now aged 19 and at university.
Sarah obtained business and accounting qualifications in the 1980s which led to jobs with
consultants and British Telecom International. More senior finance posts in a local
government computer consortium and the Borough of Lewisham followed. She returned to her
roots in 1996 when she was appointed firstly as Hackney’s Deputy Chief Executive,
then in 1997 as an Executive Director with area responsibility for Stoke Newington, before
becoming the Managing Director for the next few months.
When we visited her in the faded municipal splendour of the Town Hall, she was far from
overawed at the many tasks facing her. She spoke with energetic optimism and seemed
determined not to emphasise the problems that everyone believes exist.
What about Hackney’s terrible image? Is it based on fact? Sarah said that the image
problem can be traced back to the 1980s — ‘loony left’ etc — which
continues to be regurgitated by the media when any difficulty arises. It is unfortunate
that there are so many great things going on which nobody hears about. What about
education — the most publicised problem? Yes, this presents a considerable challenge;
the consultants are in (no, they’re not another ‘hit squad’) to assist in
identifying how services to schools can be improved. This includes looking for alternative
education providers which could involve the private sector. It is not privatisation by
another name.
Is this a good idea? The private sector is not known for its altruism, surely? Well, to
some extent, that depends on your politics but if, through making better use of the same
resources, they can deliver better ‘outcomes’ to customers then they must have a
role to play. This is not to assume they are automatically better than publicly-funded
organisations. Most local authorities are excellent providers of education. The exchange
of knowledge and skills between the public and private sectors is becoming prevalent. She
politely declined to comment on any differences (or similarities) between the Conservative
government and New Labour.
She spoke forcefully of the concerns of Stoke Newington people, particularly about the
state of the streets (litter, holes and traffic) and whether parts of Church Street should
be pedestrianised. There was no easy answer to the traffic in Church Street; the problem
was to find an alternative route. When the junction with the High Street was closed for
four weeks — due to yet another collapse of the drainage system — traffic was
diverted along Manor Road. The result was tailbacks from Green Lanes to Stamford Hill. The
Neighbourhood Committee, where local ward councillors make local decisions, would play a
key role in dealing with these matters.
Her immediate task is to prepare a report that will allow councillors to decide on the top
structure of the organisation. This includes the nature and role of her own temporary
position. Once agreed, competitive recruitment for the post will take place.
Council meetings can be extremely long — they sometimes last until 1am — and
Sarah has to attend many of them. It is not surprising that she says she has little time
to relax, but when she does, it is usually by listening to some blues, jazz or soul and
spending time with friends who hopefully will cook for her! If they will not, she can
often be found in restaurants around Church Street.
The new Managing Director of Hackney loves living in Stoke Newington and mentions its
restaurants, parks, houses and the overall ambience. We wish her the best of luck in
making the tough choices that lie ahead.
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