Andrew Dismore press releases : 27/6/2011

PRESS RELEASE: IMMEDIATE: 27/6/2011

DISMORE REQUESTS DISTRICT AUDITOR INQUIRY INTO BARNET COUNCIL METPRO CONTRACT

Andrew Dismore, Labour candidate for the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden, has today submitted to Barnet Council’s District Auditor a request that the auditor conducts a section 8 public interest inquiry into the Council’s contracting arrangements, both generally and with specific reference to the MetPro scandal ( copy reference to auditor attached)

Mr Dismore said:

“Like most Barnet taxpayers and residents, I have been following with growing alarm the revelations concerning both MetPro and the underlying lack of proper contracting procedures more generally that the scandal has identified.

Having been at the Council meeting when the Robocop style of security used by MetPro at the request of the Council first came under criticism, the consequent investigations have revealed a catalogue of catastrophic failures by Barnet Council and its leadership.

This poor contracting and lack of financial control is not a one off, as the Iceland investment fiasco and cost overruns of the Aerodrome Rd bridge confirm.

What is especially worrying, is that the internal audit found there were inadequate systems to ensure the same thing did not happen again. The “One Council” initiative will create dozens of opportunities for more to go wrong too, with consequent mammoth losses to Barnet’s long suffering tax payers, if immediate corrective action is not taken.

I therefore believe it is vital that the external district auditor now uses his powers to conduct a full public interest inquiry into Barnet Council’s contract procedures and I have today written to the auditor, seeking such an intervention on his part”.

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PRESS RELEASE: IMMEDIATE: 27/6/11

ASSEMBLY MEMBER COLEMAN FAILS TO STAND UP FOR LOCAL POLICE

Andrew Dismore, the Labour candidate for the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden, has just received the response to a Freedom of Information request to the Metropolitan Police which has revealed that in the 3 years since he was last elected Conservative Assembly member Brian Coleman has not written to the Met. even once, raising concerns about Safer Neighbourhood and Safer Transport Police team numbers and deployments. (FoI attached below).

Mr Dismore said:

“It is appalling that the police have no record of Assembly member for Barnet and Camden having written with any concerns about the strength of our SNT and STT teams. It has been clear for some time that they have been under threat from Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. The boundaries of the ward based teams are breaking down and we have just learned that the two Boroughs are to lose 9 SNT sergeants between them.

As for the STTs, when they were first introduced by former Mayor Ken Livingstone, Mr Coleman dismissed them as a “gimmick”.

Serious and damaging as these cuts are, it will come as a real shock to local people that their Assembly member apparently could not be bothered to put pen to paper or sit in front of his computer to compose even one letter to the Met. to raise objections or concerns about the SNT police cuts, imposed by the Conservative Government and Mayor.

If I am elected to the London Assembly next year I will stand up for our local police teams and make sure local people’s views are properly represented to New Scotland Yard and City Hall”.

For further information call Andrew Dismore 07957 625 813