Andrew Dismore. Labour candidate for the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden, has today launched a new online campaign to fight for an inquiry into Barnet council’s contracting procedures, with particular reference to MetPro. The campaign can be accessed at http://www.campaignengineroom.org.uk/tory-barnet-easy-council-procurement-disasters and is directed at Secretary of State Eric Pickles MP.
Mr Dismore said:
“As Barnet is now planning the wholesale privatisation of Council services, it is vital that there are proper contracting and compliance arrangements in place to protect the Council’s taxpayers.
Under the watch of the MPs for Finchley and for Hendon when they were Barnet Councillors, due to poor contracting the Council lost tens of millions in failed Iceland investments and through the Aerodrome Road overspend. Now we have the MetPro scandal and concerns over some care services providers.
Whilst the appointed external auditor is monitoring in private the Council’s processes, this is not good enough.
We need to restore public confidence in the Council’s ability to protect residents from scams, dodgy companies, profiteering and overspends, an ability the Council has so far failed to demonstrate under the present Conservative administration.
It is now up to Eric Pickles MP, the Secretary of State to clean out Barnet’s Augean Stables by setting ip a public inquiry into what has been going on and to learn lessons for the future.
I am sure many people share this view, and this online campaign now gives Barnet residents and even those from further afield who are concerned about standards in local government, to back my call for an inquiry”.
For further information call Andrew Dismore 07957 625 813 Ends
No comments:
Post a Comment