POLITICAL re-shuffles are times of uncertainty for the men and women who hold the top jobs on the council.

But council leader Gordon Matheson was forced to rethink his top team following the tragic death of popular Shettleston councillor George Ryan. Mr Ryan was executive spokesman for personnel which is seen as an important role within the council and one which requires good links with the trade unions.

Mr Matheson opted to give the vacant post to Craigton councillor Matt Kerr who had held the top job at social work.

But the decision prompted some to question whether the move was linked to the ongoing row over closure plans for a number of council-run day care centres for adults with learning disabilities.

Mr Kerr has not endeared himself to some of the carers who have been fighting to have the decision overturned.

But a Labour insider insisted that had nothing to do with the reshuffle decision and that Mr Kerr was the obvious person to take over given he had run a large department and has good trade union links.

And Labour say the decision to move him to another department will not change the decision to close the day care centres.

Licensing board convener Malcolm Cunning, who is well liked in the City Chambers, has been handed social work and now has the job of pouring oil on troubled water.

One such policy is the £100 the city council pays to people aged 80 and over to help them with their winter fuel bills. Last week, Gordon Matheson launched the third year of the scheme by visiting sprightly May Dryden, 85, in her Cowcaddens home.

Let's hope the city's older people take up the offer of cash to help them cope with ever increasing power bills.

Council arm's length organisation Glasgow Life has also been getting it right as far as the public is concerned. It is responsible for running the city's museums and art galleries, among other things.

But unlike many other gallery bosses, they are not afraid to give the public what they want to see.

In the past, Kelvingrove has hosted exhibitions in tribute to Kylie Minogue and rock band AC/DC.

Since September, the gallery has been running the first retrospective of work by Jack Vettriano.

While other galleries have refused to show his paintings, around 40,000 people have flocked to see the exhibition which opened around six weeks ago.

An indication of its popularity is that only 15,000 people in sports mad Glasgow opted to visit an exhibition called More Than A Game - How Scotland Shaped World Football, which ran for the same period earlier this year. So while council bosses deserve a roasting when they get it wrong, they merit a pat on the back when they get it right.