"Future Shape will fail because Barnet's Torys lack the balls to do it"

One of the advantages of putting my email contact in my profile details, is that it's easier for people to get in touch and tell me all about what is going on in Barnet. One thing I'd not really considered at all is the perspective of the "highly paid" consultants who are advising Barnet Council on Future Shape. As the project descends further into disrepute and farce, this poses a real problem for these consultants who have spent months if not years developing the program.


Once these guys finish at Barnet, they still have mortgages to pay, children's school fees to pay, luxury cars to fill with premium grade petrol, holidays in the Maldives and Mauritius to go on, champagne and caviar to snack on. You get the picture. Trouble is, no one wants to be associated with failure.How good does this entry sound on the CV.


2007-2009 - Barnet Council Future Shape Project.

£2.5 Million project to redesign Council processes. Project descended into farce and Council Leader had spat in press with CEO over project. Net savings delivered. Nothing.


Of course the CV wouldn't say that. I guess that one thing a £1,450 a day consultant knows how to do is write a good CV.The sad thing is that a proper system of democratic scrutiny and open administration would probably deliver far greater savings as has been demonstrated by Windsor and Eton's Tory council. I digress though.


Thing is that the people who have been paid a kings ransom to put this together aren't rich enough to retire any time soon. They need to put a positive spin on it and do a bit of damage limitation. What better way than to get "The blogs of Barnet" on your side? If Freer and Walkley are not up to the job of selling Future Shape, why not sell it through the blogs. Or at least put the case across. Which Blog would be the best one to speak to? I know that one written by the thick Punk Rocker from Mill Hill. He's too stupid to ask any of the obvious questions and everyone reads his blog.


So I find myself chatting to an architect of Future Shape. Alison Moore and Jack Cohen were unable to get a single jot of information as to how Easycouncil and Future Shape may save money. It seems there are huge savings for Councils to make, if only the Tories had the Cojones to take a few tough decisions and actually go out and sell the scheme.


Here's a couple of examplesof how the Consultants would save the Taxpayers of Barnet a Fortune.


Future Shape Bin Collection. You get a half size wheelie bin. The Council Collects the rubbish every two weeks. If you have a requirement for a bigger bin or a more regular collection, fine you just order a bigger bin or leave your bin out on the week you don't normally have a collection. You can order a "special collection" via the Council website or a text message. The Council will come and take your rubbish and charge you £5 for the privelidge. Your bin will have an RFID chip (rather like an Oyster Card) which the dustman swipes as he collects it and the money pops straight out of your bank account.If you want, you can have a bin collection every day ! It may cost a few quid, but hey so what. If you have a bigger bin, then you get charged £2.50 for the regular 2 weekly collection as you are a waste generator. Once people get the idea, they'll soon adjust their behaviour and the Council will save a packet. Your Council Tax will plummet.  Why should people who generate little rubbish subsides the rest of us. That is how the argument goes. So why won't Freer come out and tell us that he wants to do this? Well, there is a general Election next year and he doesn't think it will go down well.


The whole concept is something called nudging. It's "gently" persuading people to do things which are good for the Council's finances by imposing financial penalties. Some may call it "The Nanny State" gone mad, but me being a thick punk rock guitarist wouldn't say such a thing. Perhaps the finest example of this blue sky thinking is the scheme to improve staff attendance. Smokers on average take 8 days a year more sick leave than non smokers. Not only that, but with the advent of smoke free offices, they take on average 1/2 an hour a day away from their desks having a crafty puff. This is the equivalent of 17 days. If you are a Non smoker and the bloke next to is a smoker, he gets in total 25 days a year off, which you don't. This means that the holiday entitlement for a Barnet Council employ is more than doubled if they smoke. In effect there are two sets of terms and conditions for Barnet workers. Those who smoke and those who don't. Those who smoke get a far better deal, but they are killing themselves. Their sickness has to be covered by agency staff, or taxpeyers will not get the service. So how do you "nudge" staff to give up smoking? Well you could go carrot or you could go stick. A carrot? Only give your non smoking staff a couple of extra days paid holiday a year. The stick approach. You make all staff who smoke and who wish to take smoking breaks "clock off" whilst they are having a cigarette break. For each cigarette break, they have to work 15 minutes longer at the end of the day. If they want to stop smoking you help them. If all Barnet staff gave up smoking, a fortune would be saved in sickness and holidays and the public would get a far better service.


This is the type of blue sky cost saving is what the Future Shape program was meant to identify. So will they be implementing this scheme - "No chance". Why "because, when it comes down to it they lack the balls".


My observations. Firstly on the refuse collection. Single people already get a rebate on Council Tax. This was meant to compensate them for producing less rubbish. It's all very well, but when you have children, sick and incontinent adults etc, you produce more waste. How do you factor this in. How much will a new fleet of wheelie bins, an It system to manage it, etc all cost. I'm all for cutting down on waste production, but it will hit poor, large families hardest. I wouldn't want two weeks worth of stinky nappies outside my house in a heatwave.


As to the Future Shape approach to smoking. Like all such things, I see this as a simplistic solution to a difficult problem. Sure,it's not fair that smokers get 25 days a year away from their job paid. It would be good for them to give up, but is it your bosses job to impose this. My guess is that the existing apprasal system should already address this. I'd have thought that people who are constantly sick and constantly away from their desk would get lower pay rises than those who are diligent. if that isn't the case, then the process needs fixing. You don't need to be a highly paid consultant to figure that out. I wonder why they didn't jointly work on a "quit smoking" scheme with the trades unions. After all this has to be good for the members.


So now I've seen the Future Shape of Barnet Council, what do I think. I think it's great, if you want extra bureacracy, stealth taxes, nanny state interference in people's lifestyles, smelly rubbish rotting in your neighbours gardens for two weeks, constant bonfires and pollution as people burn waste, disputes as neighbours fill your bin up at midnight. One of the terms of the deal whereby I got an off the record briefing was that it was "completely off the record". I'm a man of my word, so I'll stick to the deal, but all I can say is that this whole process really should be opened up to public scrutiny and discussion. It scares the hell out of me.