One Barnet - Transforming Barnet Council - into Steptoe and Son

And on the theme of Steptoe and son, a large document just appeared on the doorstep. I've scanned the first four pages. It's entitled "One Barnet Procurement Principles" and placed these on the Future Shape Leaks blog - http://barnetfutureshape.blogspot.com/2011/10/barnet-council-secret-documents-one.html - for your perusal.

Section 1 rather ironically says "with the number of staff involved in the process managing confidentiality will be very difficult" - No s**t Sherlock. Barnet are always good for a snigger, if not proper punctuation !

Section two gets into the meat of how the Council want to sell us down the river. It proudly announces "The Council does not have to accept a variant bid if it is the highest scoring, so long as it has reserved this right in advance". In other words, we can take a worse bid, so long as we tell everyone the bidding scoring system is a complete joke.

Section 3 talks about new jobs created by the One Barnet project. It seems to say "We don't know if we want these to be in Barnet or not". My guess is that when cash is king, not is the likely outcome.

Section 4 is a lot of "newspeak" waffle which seems to say "We haven't really got a clue how this will work, so we'll cross our fingers and hope for the best".

Section 5 goes into a lengthy discussion of how the whole process is all about shafting the pension rights of Barnet Council employees.

Section 6 says that local jobs only need be protected if there is no other choice.


I guess it is section 7 that gives the game away "Accomodation can be provided free of charge or at market rental, either way, the cost of hosting services will be a charge to the Council".


It really is a horrible document. Part II will be analysed later this week. When it comes down to it, it is clear that Barnet wishes to apply the Albert Steptoe management principle. Viewers of the series will remember that Albert Steptoe employed his son. His son was welcome to do whatever he wanted, just so long as it completely suited Albert. This is exactly the same attitude as Barnet Council have to their staff.


It is disgusting

Barnet Council - Open letter to all councillors from concerned Barnet residents

Time to pull back from the One Barnet Programme

Dear Councillor

Next Tuesday 17 May is the Council’s Annual General Meeting. As residents we see this as an opportunity for the Council to do some stocktaking and signal a change of direction.

The One Barnet Programme was initially presented as the new and innovative approach to the future of Council services. However, as soon as the first reports were published it became clear that there was little evidence behind many of the exaggerated claims being made by the consultants paid to advise on the programme.

We are aware that many councillors doubt whether the One Barnet Programme can deliver the savings and improved services Barnet residents expect. We share those anxieties.

Last week saw the publication of a number of articles in the mainstream press supporting the view that mass outsourcing does not save money, is high risk, and has a negative impact on staff morale. We hope you will take the time to read the extracts from some of those articles which follow.

The fate of Suffolk County Council

Suffolk County Council last September declared its intention to become the first “virtual council”. The Chief Executive pushing this programme, under the name New Strategic Direction, was being supported by Max Wide, on secondment from BT. As you know, Mr Wide was one of the architects of Future Shape / One Barnet.

Since announcing their intention to outsource most services, Suffolk has been dogged by controversy. In December they were accused of ignoring a £100 million overspend on a deal with BT. (See article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/dec/16/suffolk-council-bt-overspend.)

In the last few days there have been big changes in the Conservative Party in Suffolk as a result of concerns about New Strategic Direction, and the scheme has been halted. The Guardian newspaper reports:

The previous council leader, Jeremy Pembroke, who helped oversee the plans... stepped down in April amid concern about the deeply unpopular changes. An inquiry was begun into morale at the council's legal department after an anonymous whistleblowing letter, sent to councillors, and believed to be from an employee, alleged staff there had been put under "unbearable pressure". The letter refers to "the poisonous atmosphere that exists at present" in the council.

(Full article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/04/suffolk-virtual-council-plan.)

The BBC has reported on its website:

MPs were concerned that Suffolk County Council chief executive's policies threatened to "rip the heart out" of local communities. Negotiations are reported to be going on between the council and its chief executive Andrea Hill who has not returned to work after a holiday and is now reported to be on "extended leave". Suffolk Central Conservative MP Dr Dan Poulter said he and fellow MPs had been worried about the direction the council was taking under Ms Hill.

(To see the BBC interview with Poulter visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-13312597.)

Outsourcing should not be the automatic response to austerity.

The public sector IT managers’ association SOCITM has published a research briefing called Costs of outsourcing: uncovering the real risks.

The report’s author, Martin Greenwood, warns:

Outsourcing should not be considered an inevitable response to austerity. Even smaller organisations that need to gain economies of scale, and struggle to keep up with technological development, should consider collaboration and sharing with other local public services as a genuine alternative. If they do take the plunge into outsourcing, they should make sure they are aware of the pitfalls and know how to avoid them. ...It is a myth that outsourcing is cheaper, across most areas it is more expensive and people outsource for a range of reasons other than cost.

The report reveals that “when comparing the costs for any service, most elements will be more expensive if outsourced. The risks associated with benchmarking begin at the tender stage when suppliers will benefit from being experts at the process of negotiating contract terms, in contrast with the local authority that will go to market only rarely for a major outsourcing.”

(More details:
http://www.socitm.net/news/article/76/new_briefing_highlighs_outsourcing_risks.)

The government is rowing back on mass outsourcing of public services.

The BBC reported a recent meeting between the CBI and the minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, where the minister explained:

...the government is committed to transforming services, but this would not be a return to the 1990s with wholesale outsourcing to the private sector – this would be unpalatable to the present administration. The government was not prepared to run the political risk of fully transferring services to the private sector with the result that they could be accused of being naive or allowing excess profitmaking by private sector firms. [Note of meeting by CBI]

(Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13273932.)

The articles above point to the folly of schemes such as the One Barnet Programme.

In the last two months the Council’s poor procurement and contract monitoring capacity has been demonstrated by the MetPro, Catalyst (legionella bacterium) and SAP cases. These have all harmed the Council’s reputation. Yet these are small contracts when compared to what the One Barnet Programme is proposing. With the One Barnet Programme the risks will be much higher.

We are asking the Conservative administration to bring the One Barnet Programme to a close before it is too late.

Millions of pounds of public money has already been spent on consultants, with no discernible savings achieved, and the losses could well be multiplied many fold going forward. Residents and Barnet Council staff are increasingly anxious about the future of Barnet Council services. Councillors should be too.

Last September the Leader said “I would always listen to the community” when she reversed the decision to increase councillors’ allowances. We are asking you to listen now.

There is still time to put the brakes on the One Barnet Programme. We urge you to do so.

Yours sincerely

Derek Dishman
John Dix
Vicki Morris
Theresa Musgrove
Roger Tichborne

Barnet Council : Metpro Scandal - FOI response

Was forwarded this response today from a reader of the blog who asked if Barnet monitor the financial status of suppliers. Given that Metpro Rapid Response Ltd went bust and the council only found out when bloggers alerted them, it doesn't bode well for the Future Shape/OneBarnet/BarnetTrack project where the whole council will be outsourced, does it?  Another reason why Nick Walkley needs to call an independent inquiry
-----------------------------------------------------
From: Olagbaju, Ade
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 1:20 PM
To: ***** **********
Subject: FW: Monitoring suppliers financial strength

Dear Mr. Dishman,

Please accept my apology for not respondig to your enquiry sooner.
Further to your enquiry about Barnet's monitoring system, the Council has a system for monitoring suppliers' financial strength which involves the use of Experian reports and detailed financial assessments where appropriate.

I hope this answers your query; please let me know if it does not.

Regards

Ade Olagbaju
Finance Manager Strategic Projects
-----------------------------------------------

Bungling Brian Coleman - The King of the Barnet Future Shape ballsup

Councillor Brian Coleman, who also happens to be our GLA rep is a man of unique talent. Let me share with you some of the things he's best at :-

Sending residents rude emails and getting into trouble with the Standards Committee
Running up expenses - Unrivalled at the GLA and LFEPA (sadly he won't allow Barnet to publish his)
Eating free dinners at the expense of those seeking acces to people of power and influence and those who can give him a holiday

Yet again he's got his ugly mug on the Times website.  As the man who boasted he never knowingly undercharges, you'd think he'd make sure his underlings did the paperwork properly. As a result, the increases in Parking charges, of which he's so proud have been deemed illegal and the council has had to go back to square one. Read all about it in the Barnet CPZ blog, which is listed in the sidebar. Congratulations to David Attfield, leading the campaign, for this victory.

Brian Coleman is the man who ushered in the Future Shape/One Barnet/EasyCouncil/BarnetTrack era, when he organised the coup which deposed the last sensible Tory to lead the Council, Brian J. D. Salinger. For all his many faults, Salinger was a competent administrator, who was running a tight ship. Coleman decided that Salinger wasn't bonkers enough, organised a coup and put Mike Freer (now Finchley MP) in charge. Freer then launched the Future Shape / BarnetTrack program. If you read Mr Reasonables blog in the sidebar, you'll see how this project is falling apart at huge expense. We (the sane and sensible) of Barnet have now engaged the services of a forensic accountant, who will shortly get to work on the Business Case / Made up figures (delete as appropriate) which Barnet are trying to use to justify this.

I have often wondered what Barnet Council would be like today had Brian Coleman never arrived on the scene. I have no doubt it would be true blue Tory. I suspect that it might have been reasonably well run and I have no doubt at all that our Council Tax would be far lower, as sensible administrators would have kept and eye on the detail. Many local Tories now privately dispair. Barnet has achieved national acclaim as the face of the Looney right. Promenant local Tories send me links to articles detailing how much better certain Labour Councils are doing with issues such as transparancy, with an air of resigned despair. The few sensible Tory councillors privately tell me they are embarrassed to walk down the street. As someone on the left, it gives me no pleasure to be able to say with confidence that we have the worst Tory Council in the UK. We certainly have the stupidest.

I wonder whether Brian Coleman is proud of the monster he's created. My guess is he couldn't give a damn so long as the free dinners, free holidays and free taxi's keep turning up.

Professor Dexter Whitfield on Outsourcing

Europe's leading expert on Public Sector outsourcing gave a presentation to the Barnet Alliance for Public Services tonight (Tuesday 15/3/2011). It was most illuminating. I've prepared a brief video report of the event, highlighting some of the fundamental flaws which Dexter has identified in the strategy of local and national government.

The Man who sold the World

Oh No, not me I never lost control. You're face to face with the man who sold the world.

As I saw the video of old chubbychops Brian Coleman in action at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday evening, I contemplated making a video of the old David Bowie song with Coleman on. The sad truth is that until May 2006, we had a vaguely sensible Conservative Council. Then Brian Coleman orchestrated the putsch which deposed Councillor Brian Salinger as Leader and selected Mike Freer. I was no fan of Salinger, but I had no idea of what Freer was like. He was unknown and introduced as a "hard Thatcherite". Freer wanted to make a name for himself. As such he started the "Future Shape" project. The idea is simple Thatcherism. Privatise everything. Just have a few people doing the things required by law.

Now what many people don't realise about Thatcherite Privatisation was that it was never about saving money for the taxpayer. It is about the destruction of the power of the Unions. By fragmenting services, it becomes harder to take effective action. Staff know that if they work for a private supplier and they strike, they are far more likely to lose their job and be thrown onto the dole. As private companies exist to make money for shareholders, a profit must be turned. Whilst this is referred to as efficiency, it usually means paying staff less. Whilst public services often have a degree of spare capacity, this is not always the case in private companies. Whilst it results in cheaper operation, when someone is ill, it means jobs don't get done. If a private company runs a sandwich bar and a member of staff is ill, a queue forms at lunchtime and people go elsewhere. If a community care worker is ill and can't work, if there is no spare capacity, someone gets left without care. Often agency workers will be brought in to cover who are not familair with the needs of the people they care for and are solely motivated to collect the cash and go.

A sensible Council, wishing to embark on a program of privatisation would look for services which are not delivering, analyse why and if a private supplier could be demonstrated to perform the service better, give them the contract. What haas happened in Barnet is that they want the whole shooting match privatised. This has created a mad rush, with corners cut. The Council's own auditors Grant Thornton issued a damning report highlighting the fact that no proper project plan existed and no effective controls were in place.

The crazy thing about the whole project is the fact that it is demonstrably a vanity project for the local Tories. A sensible pragmatic Tory would seek to "cherry pick" projects to ensure that successful outcomes were achieved, each building on the success of the previous ones. A methodology for implementing outsourcing would be developed based on real world problems. Expertise and skills would be developed and as each department was picked off, they would be able to cite past success.

What they have done is go big bang. As the wheels are coming off and the Unions find more and more holes. Sadly for the Tories, this lack of proper planning is likely to ultimately destroy the whole case. Legal challenges will follow and rather than making a sensible business case, they will end up destroying forever the concept of flogging off services. Anyone who has read any of Dexter Whitlock's analysis of the Future Shape / One Barnet model would have to conclude that it is rapidly becoming a replay of General Custers last stand.

The sad truth is that it has cost millions in consultants fees. On Tuesday Barnet implemented  a program of vicious cuts to front line services in the Budget. Rather oddly, they could have avoided all of this if they'd cancelled Future Shape and worked with the in house teams for greater efficiency. There would still have been cuts, but many of these could be directed to the layers of management which have been developed to handle the Easy Council model. There are many services which could have been made had council workers on salaries over £75,000 pa had a 5% salary cut and those on over £120,000 had a 10% cut. This would most definately saved enough to save the Lollipop service and sheltered housing wardens.

Barnet Council have adopted a bizarre stance on the whole issue. Councillors are being whipped in scrutiny committees. They have taken to declaring this at the start of the session. What this means is that they are forbidden from demanding further work on projects they no to be defective. It is completely crazy. If they see something needs fixing, they are not allowed to say. What could be more bonkers than shutting people up who are on your side and are trying to make your schemes work properly.

In Mrs Angry's blog about the Council meeting on Tuesday, the final paragraph explained why we are in the mess. Councillor Barry Evangeli had been elected as Deputy Mayor at the fractuous meeting. Amid all the scenes of Security guards manhandling residents, police, Councillors and Officials disagreeing over who could do what, Mr Evangeli emerged beaming with joy. He was chuffed. Why? He'd managed to snaffle a load of cakes, which had been left over from the buffet. If ever Brian Coleman falls under a bus, it seems we have a ready made replacement (note : it's the bit before the Weds update). The Tories in Barnet may "Sell the World" - you and I will have to pay the price.

Barnet Council - A time for common sense and cool heads

Everyone I've spoken today, from Tory Councillors to Trades Union Activists, who attended the Council Meeting last night, were absolutely appalled at what happened. A Jewish Conservative Councillor told me that he hung his head in shame as "Black shirted quasi paramiltary security forces bullied local residents".  Many questions regarding public safety and public order have been raised, which I will not address here. It is now time to step back and look at the real issues. We must formulate a plan as to how we move forward and address the most important issues. This is my view.

1) Private Security Forces in Barnet. There have been many issues raised regarding their behaviour and conduct last night. There have also been questions raised as to the contract with MetPro (the company), their SIA registration (a legal requirement) and the fact their accounts have not been filed. Barnet Unions have asked to see a risk assessment.

Actions for Concerned residents : Contact your councillors, the CEO of Barnet and the Metropolitan Police expressing any concerns you may have.

2) Filming of Council Meetings : It appears that the Council do not know whether they can ban this or not. They clearly have no idea.

Actions for Concerned residents : I suggest that we arrange a "mass filming" of regular committee meetings until such time as the Council sees sense and outlines proper arrangements and protocols. I would suggest that the existing rules cover it already. If people are discreet then it is not a problem. If they unduly disrupt the meeting in a DISORDELY OR THREATENING fashion they can be asked to leave.

3) The Council Cuts. The two issues above are really a sideshow. Anyone who thought the Tories would change their mind regarding their slash and burn program last night was deluded. We can get them to change it and see sense, but only by hard work.

Actions for the people of Barnet :

Bloggers -  Notify each other of issues you are investigating. That way we won't duplicate effort. If we all read the same papers, we are not being efficient. If you start looking at something which will take a few days to get to the bottom of, let the other bloggers know. Other bloggers, please respect this and don't try and "get there first" when you see what someone is investigating. Find something else to look at.

Residents - Sign petitions, attend rallys and marches. Write to your councillors if they are Tories and say you will not vote for them.

Sensible Tory Councillors - Stand up for yourselves.  They can only enforce the whip if they pick you off one at a time. Refuse to be intimidated. Threaten them back. Tell them you will "go public for the sake of the Conservative Party". Whatever you do, end this failed regime in May when you have the chance.  I am not a Conservative, but they are leading you to ruin. An example of Lynne Hillans lack of Leadership qualities is demonstrated here where she blames the fiasco last night on the Mayor - Councillor Tony Finn -

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8884511.Security__nothing_to_do_with_me__says_council_leader/

Trades Unions, Opposition Parties & local Campaign Groups - Get off your backsides and campaign against this. Make sure everyone in Barnet knows how the cuts will affect them and their loved ones. Leader Lynne Hillan claimed (backed up by Brian Coleman) that "most people won't be affected". This is the maths they've done. Whilst this may be true, it only requires 7% of their vote to be affected and switch for them to lose the council. We have to work to get that 7% to realise they have been let down. That is our challenge. I believe the Tories are helping us achieve this with every day they keep persisiting with Hillan, Harper, Coleman and Future Shape/Easycouncil/OneBarnet.

Barnet Council : The Silence of the Sheep

There are 37 Barnet Conservative Councillors. They are currently pushing through a scheme called Future Shape, (otherwise know as OneBarnet, Easy Council and "A nice little earner" by consultants everywhere).

The management of the project was torn apart by the Councils own auditors, Grant Thornton. They said that there was no business case, no proper project plan and no clearly defined milestones. The project was launched 3 years ago. This year they spent more on it than they saved. If you look at the councils latest invoices they are spending a small fortune on "consultants".

This was highlighted by the councils own scrutiny committee, who sent a report on this back to Councillor Daniel Thomas, for further work. Thomas arrogantly got a lackey to email them back saying it was fine - read the email on the Future Shape Leaks website - http://barnetfutureshape.blogspot.com/2010/11/barnet-cabinet-member-ignores-scrutiny.html - what happens next?

Tory councillors are paid to defend our interests. As both the council auditors and the scrutiny committe have identifed problems, surely it's time for the sheep to end their silence.

Barnet easyCouncil....don't follow SouthWestOne disaster...

As Barnet Council embarks on its One Barnet/Future Shape outsourcing project, it is worth considering the experience of other councils where similar projects have been tried.

You may have seen the Southwest One ITV West documentary made 18 months ago detailing the IBM takeover of services in Somerset. The project was beset with controversy. Somerset County Council back then was a Lib-Dem Council; however the Deputy Leader found himself subject to a large number of Standard Board charges. This councillor was objecting to the Southwest One project. It took him two years to clear his name.

Somerset UNISON fought a campaign to expose the secrecy surrounding this Project and surprise surprise the branch secretary was suspended for almost six months. I am pleased to report he is back in the UNISON office.

For those of you who saw the ITV West documentary will know the project was shrouded in secrecy and very few people actually saw the Business Case for the project. I have a copy of the documentary if anyone would like to view it.

Bridgewater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger (Con) has been campaigning against Southwest One for over two years and fought hard to have access to the Business Case.

I imagine Somerset County Lib-Dem councillors wish they had demanded to see the Business Case as the Lib-Dem’s were later ousted by the Conservatives in the last elections.

Interestingly a contingent from SouthwestOne paid a visit to Barnet during the summer. I don’t know what they discussed but after viewing this latest news I really, really hope they haven’t been advising Barnet Council on the benefits of partnerships with the Private Sector

Professor Dexter Whitfield was the consultant providing expert advice for Somerset UNISON Branch. Dexter said at the time “The Somerset strategic partnership with IBM was a classic example of ideologically driven outsourcing. Somerset UNISON warned about the declining level of savings and higher contract management costs. The increasing annual losses of the joint venture company serve to illustrate the high risks involved in these contracts."

Dexter has and continues to provide expert advice for the branch.

Take a look at this report

From Local Government Chronicle

Somerset joint venture loses £16m in its first year

21 October 2010 | By Ruth Keeling

A controversial joint venture between Somerset’s councils, police force and IBM has made a multi-million pound loss for the second year running.

Southwest One posted an operating loss of £16.1m in its second year of operation, according to accounts lodged with Companies House earlier this month.

The 2008-09 accounts state that the loss – a significant increase on the £2m it lost in its first year – “was larger than originally budgeted” because its investment period had to be extended and because it failed to attract new customers. A credit facility from parent company IBM means it will continue to operate for the “foreseeable future”, according to the accounts.

The joint venture was set up in September 2007 by IBM, who own three-quarters of the company, and Somerset CC and Taunton Deane BC to provide back office services including HR, finance, estates management and IT. Avon and Somerset Police later joined the partnership but it has been dogged by arguments from the first.

Most recently, it emerged that the two councils would be fined because of the extra checks that the Audit Commission had to make on their accounts prepared by the firm. Taunton Deane said it would pay its £15,000 charge itself while Somerset CC, whose leader is currently considering an internal review of the Southwest One contract, said it would pass the charge on to the company.

The contract, worth £585m over 10 years to the company, was set up with the aim of finding efficiencies for the three customers, although those savings have been downgraded from the £200m originally quoted to £144m “pipeline” savings listed in the most recent accounts.

In a statement, Southwest One emphasised that the 2008-09 figures were “a reflection that first of a kind ventures like this require up-front investment in the early stages” and stated that there had been no negative impact on the service. In fact, it added, a new customer contact centre had call waiting times for residents.

Southwest One’s accounts blamed its failure to attract new partners on the “adverse UK economic environment, coupled with a high degree of political uncertainty”.

However, the company said it was in discussion with a number of potential customers and argued that the spending review and the communities secretary’s enthusiasm for shared services would provide “significant opportunities”.

It stated: “South West One, as a pioneer in this field, is ideally-placed to help public bodies respond to this challenge”.

But Bridgewater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger (Con) branded the partnership a “failure” and questioned whether they would have any success in attracting new partners. “They’re such a tarnished outfit that short of changing their name there is no point in talking to anybody,” he said.

Somerset CC said it had no further comment to that provided by Southwest One.

"I bet they had no comment."

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I nicked this from the Unison blog with a few small amendments - here's the original

http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/509

Future Shape of Barnet Council - Is this it?

There is a story in the Hendon Times today which I simply must share with you. As you are probably aware,  BARNET COUNCILseeks to get rid of all its in house care functions and contract them out to private companies. How do these companies operate? Please read this as I think it gives you a pretty good idea. I've got a few potted highlights below.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/8430824.Care_company_calls_for_more_caregivers_to_tackle_winter_shortfall/

What alarms me are the following statements in the article - although you may well take a different view and think it sounds marvellous :-

"We are looking for experienced carers, but that doesn't mean people have to have been employed, they could have cared for a family member or their own children."

Home Instead offers personal care services to people with dementia and Alzheimer's, home help services and companionship services

The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, although caregivers will start on a zero hours contract and be paid for the time they provide to clients

Bosses at Home Instead Senior Care, based in High Road, North Finchley, are hoping to attract up to 50 new staff members as demand for their services increases heading into winter.

So there you go. Make up your own mind. Would I feel comfortable if this concerned my Mum, Dad, Grandmother or Grandfather who is suffering from Alzhiemers or Dementia? 

Oh and if you see the care of loved ones as a fantastic business opportunity, then this page on the company website will be of much interest to you on the company website -

http://www.homeinstead.co.uk/Business_Opportunities.do

Whatever you think of these arrangements, good or bad, you can be sure that as far as the Conservative administration in Barnet are concerned, this is a good example of the

 FUTURE SHAPE OF CARE IN BARNET 

Q: What do you call a Council Leader who has just divorced reality?

A: Lynne Hillan

Yesterday there were two important stories in Barnet. One was this story on the Barnet Tory Bugle, telling of how a junior Government under secretary (or Minister as the Bugle called him) was visiting Lynne Hillan and praising the Future Shape project.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/8418218.Minister_endorses_Future_Shape_plans/

The other was the relaunch of the Barnet Future Shape Leaked documents website by this blog. Here we published a secret internal council document detailing the fact that the project is in meltdown.

http://barnetfutureshape.blogspot.com/2010/09/cso-project-notes-for-barnet-council.html

Lynne Hillan believes the Future Shape project is marvellous. She's now suckered a minister (who presumably she hasn't shared all the bad news with) into saying it's marvellous. Sadly all of the professional organisations who have reviewed the project (Council auditors Grant Thornton, Councils own CSO group) say the wheels have come off (if indeed they were ever on).

All I ask Hillans Tory colleagues to do is read these documents. If they read them, I cannot believe that they can arrive at any other conclusion than she's lost the plot and should be replaced immediately and that the council should stop throwing good money after bad on the bonkers Future Shape scheme.

 Oh and how come we've not heard a peep out of £250,000 a year CEO Nick Walkley? Surely it's his job to deliver this fiasco. Nick, it's about time you got a grip.

Barnet Future Shape Project Scandal : An open letter to every Barnet Councillor

I sent this email to every Barnet Councillor. I want to make it 100% clear that they all know what a mess  the project is in and the fact that the audit by Grant Thornton has been scathing. This way when they try the Mike Freer defence of "I know nothing" we can all say "oh yes you did". Here is the text of the letter. I also copied the local press. They are trying to get another £2.5 million to chuck down the drain after the millions (some reports say £5 million) that they've spent on a project without a business case, a project plan and which the auditors say is "high risk"..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Barnet Councillor,

 

I am writing to draw your attention to a document being put before the Audit committee this week.

 

http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/reports/reportdetail.asp?ReportID=9615

 

This document contains a report by Grant Thornton on the Future Shape/One Barnet project. The conclusions and recommendations contained in this report strongly indicate that vast sums of public money have been wasted (with more to follow). To illustrate this fact, here is just one small exert.

I have received advice, following an article featuring this report on my blog, which indicates that the implications of this report are enormous for Barnet Council, given the huge amounts sepnt on this project, with no business case, no organisational blueprint, no high level cost and benefit analysis and a "high level risk profile".

 

I would suggest that to avoid any risk of the council appearing negligent and to avoid future costly legal issues regarding the Future Shape project, you read this report and make sure that you give appropriate feedback to the leadership, the audit committee and the Council officers as you see fit.

 

I am not seeking a reply or a justification from you regarding this issue, I just ask that you discharge your responsibilities as councillors properly and make sure that you are fully conversant with the current state of this project. I am sending this email to all 63 councillors, as I have been advised that it is a serious enough issue to warrant it. I have also copied journalists from the local papers as I believe this is a matter of notable public interest and the CEO of Barnet Council.

 

Regards

Roger Tichborne

www.barneteye.blogspot.com

The Daily Express names and shames Barnet Councils "Greedy Pen Pushers"

Cut these greedy pen pushers and free the nation !

This is the call to arms from columnist Leo McKinstry in todays Daily Express. Given that this blog has been calling for such action for years, we wholeheartedly back Mr McInistrys comments. Reading through Mr McInistrys article I was not surprised to find that the very first example he chose to give of council wastage was Barnet. In Barnet Council there is a culture of waste and a culture of not caring. Front line services are cut left, right and centre, such as wardens for the residents of sheltered housing,  call centres are moved to far flung shores under "Future Shape", in the process destroying local jobs, yet the council wastes millions on consultants to advise that there is a shortage of senior management. As the monstrous Future Shape "savings scheme" rolls into town we find that they are recruiting "senior assistant directors" on huge salaries to implement it (odd how in Barnet Council, savings always involve more managers). This blog detailed all of this a couple of weeks ago. Leo McInstry clearly agrees, he says in todays Daily Express :-

Too much public sector recruitment is nothing more than an employment racket for over-paid bureaucrats. Only this month, for instance, Barnet Council in North London has advertised for three assistant directors on salaries totalling over £300,000

We couldn't agree more, or put it better ourselves. Barnet Council CEO Nick Walkley and Leader of the Council Lynne Hillan should hang their heads in shame. The Daily Express is a staunchly Conservative paper and for a Tory Council to be named and shamed by such a paper is a complete humiliation. What we need is a council which takes an axe to the bloated management structure and uses the huge savings it can make to ensure that front line services to the weak, frail and elderly are defended.This blog is not a right wing slash and burn rag. We are left leaning and passionately believe in maintaining public services. This can only be done by efficiently managing our resources and getting rid of highly paid managers doing non jobs. Given the millions Barnet has spent on consultants, only to be told "hire more managers" it is clear that the bosses in their North London Business Park Ivory Towers just don't get it. I hope being named and shamed by the Daily Express is the reality check they need.

I have this question for Mr Walkley and Ms Hillan as they have their morning coffee. How do you feel about the fact that out of all of the hundreds of councils in England, the Daily Express chooses Barnet Council as the very first example of "an employment racket for over-paid bureaucrats" in an article titled "Cut these greedy pen pushers and free the nation"?

P.S Note to Boris. Your hand picked appointee to run the Fire Service (LFEPA) is the kingmaker who pulls the strings in this failed regime. Wake up and sack him.

A message to the Labour Party in Barnet

Dear Barnet Labour Party,

There is no nice way to say this. I am saying this because the people of Barnet desperately need you to change, probably more than any local Labour party anywhere in the UK. I know that this will make me no friends at all, but frankly I really don't care anymore. I am saying this because if no one says it and no one does anything, then it is a total betrayal of the people who have supported  you, the working people of Barnet. Every single Labour party member in Barnet should read this and ask themselves "How did we let this happen?"

You are a disgrace and you've let the people of Barnet down badly. Barnet Council is run by a completely useless Conservative administration. Not only have they shown themselves to be financially incompetent, but they have embarked on a war against the poor, the vulnerable, the weak and their own employees. This campaign is called Future Shape. If you are a member of the Barnet Labour party, you either know about this and have done sweet FA about it, which is a disgrace or you don't know about it which is even worse. This is a plan to completely privatise all council functions, sell off all of the councils assets and reduce the council down to a core of highly paid officials and councillors, who sit in Ivory towers allocating lucrative contracts to private companies. This will  relocate thousands of jobs out of Barnet, causing poverty and deprivation. Where have the stalls been on the high street to fight this? Where have the leaflets been explaining why it is vital for Labour to kick the Tories out of the Town Hall? Where have the activists been marching up and down the high streets saying to people "Do you agree with these policies, if not join us". What about Barnet Councils war on Sheltered Housing tenants? Have you been marching up and down the High Street saying "They can't get away with this" Have you been saying to everyone you know "We can beat this, but only if we get off our lazy fat arses and do something". Where have the stalls been? Where have the pickets been. Oh yes, I hear you say "Andrew Dismore and Alison Moore were at the front of the March against sheltered housing in Finchley last year". Trouble was that they had no part in the organisation, they just turned up and hijacked it. Did they make sure that there was a Labour stall out in the High Street building on that, reminding everyone, week after week? No, of course they didn't.

What election leaflets did we get from Labour. Lots and lots from Andrew Dismore telling us how marvellous he was. If these leaflets had said "only a vote for Labour will stop the sheltered housing cuts and only a vote for Labour will stop wholesale privatisation, which will bring poverty and unemployment to Barnet, in big, bold brassy letters, then maybe Mr Dismore would have got the 106 extra votes he needed in Hendon". I have  no doubt whatsoever that if the Labour party had started it's local campaign against the warden cuts and the future shape program last year, and got a stall out in every High Street in Barnet once a month for the last year, they would have followed the example of Brent,Harrow and Camden and taken control of the council. As it was they were all too lazy.

Oh, I hear them say, we didn't have the activists on the ground to do it. Of course you didn't because you only do that by the leadership getting off their arses, organising local meetings, working hard and saying "get out there and get us some activists". Work breeds success and the Barnet Labour party did none. I don't believe the lie that there was nobody interested. I attended a few meetings of the Barnet Community Campaign and there was huge interest in fighting these policies. The sad thing was that the local Lavbour party wasn't. All they were interested in doing was trying to save Andrew Dismores seat. The sad truth is that if they'd campaigned against the council, they'd have swept Dismore in on the backwash. Dismores campaign was built on sand. There were no solid foundations.

Andrew Dismore won because Labour and the Lib Dems controlled the Council and there was a healthy network of local activists. These people worked tirelessly at ground level to fight on local issues and this engaged local people. The key turning point for Andrew was Edgware general hospital, where a huge local campaign swept him into power. Sadly once he got there, local people and local politics were forgotten. That was why the council was lost and that's why it wasn't regained.

I received an email yesterday from Don't Call Me Dave. He's a Conservative who runs the Not The Barnet Times blog. It is shameful that he's done more to oppose future shape, the warden cuts and all of the other inept actions of the Barnet Conservatives than the entire Barnet Labour Party put together. All the Barnet Labour Party had to do to win was say "Read the Not The Barnet Times blog and see why you cannot vote Conservative. This blog is written by a leading Barnet Conservative". They had all of the ammunition they needed from a source of impeccable trustworthyness.

I know that many angry Labour members will say "Well you are in no position to talk, you jumped ship to the Lib Dems". I did this because I believed that the Lib Dems were the only realistic opponents of the Barnet Tories in Mill Hill ward and also because they seemed to understand the need to campaign locally. Sure we lost, but we worked our socks off. We were squeezed by a general election happening on the same day as the council election. We have issues to sort out and lessons to learn, but there is one big difference between Labour and the Lib Dems in London. Labour had a huge swing in most councils apart from Barnet. The Lib Dems didn't. If you are a Labour party member living in Barnet and you don't like what the Council is doing, then get out and get active. Dust down those tressel tables, get that photocopier going and start telling people why they need to kick the Tories out in Barnet Town Hall.  If you start now and you start to reengage with all those lost Labour voters at street level, by the time of the next election you might get there. There will be plenty of local issues for you to fight, given the policies of local and national government. This can only be done from the ground up.

Many people have asked me if I am going to be rejoining the Labour party, following the Lib Dem pact with the Tories. I have thought long and hard about this. As to the deal "I agree with Charles" - Charles Kennedy said he could never vote for such a pact. Having said that, I am Mill Hill through and through and the harsh reality is that only the local Lib Dems offer an alternative to the Tories in this ward. All of my reasons for quitting the Labour party still stand true. As I said to Dont Call Me Dave, the reason that the Tories won in Barnet is because no one believed that the local Labour Party had worked hard enough to prove it was a viable alternative.

I do have one suggestion for the local Labour Party, a parting gift. There is only one person in Barnet who has the skills, capability, knowledge and drive to get you back on the right track. If Alison Moore really is a leader she will lead a delegation around to her place and beg her to become the Barnet Labour party general secretary and not take no for an answer. Give her access to all your cash, all your campaigning resources and let her run the back room show. That person is Vicki Morris and if you do that you will win the Barnet Council back in four years time. If you don't ask her then you deserve oblivion. She knows how to campaign, how to work hard and how to fight.

A question for the Conservative Candidate for Golders Greer - Mr Mike Freer

I've been played a recording of an answer Mike Freer gave to a question by Labour Councillor Alan Schneiderman concerning the Conservatives and who they sit with in the European Parliamentary chamber.

Mike Freer gave a very long and very evasive answer. At the end of this he stated that it was Ok for the Tories to sit with neo fascists because Labour sits with some equally unsavoury characters.

Let me remind Councillor Freer that he's going to be representing a Constituency with a large Jewish community. Many people within this community lost family members to the Nazis and Fascists in the middle of the last century. This is one issue that the people who will be voting for him really should know his views on.

Sadly because the Council won't broadcast it's meetings, I can't play the recording here, but if you don't believe me check out what Lib-Dem leader Jack Cohen has to say in his blog.

I'm afraid that Mike Freer's evasive answer to the question just won't do. As to the ban on recording council meetings. Many people have phones & other devices that can record these meetings in a clandestine fashion. How can someone pushing a policy called "Future Shape" be such a Luddite?

A new relationship with citizens?

By John Burgess

That is one of the core aims of future shape programme. Well, how about maximising involvement of your residents by web casting committee meetings. As the numerous Future Shape reports have promoted the increased use of web based technology why not start with council committee meetings.

Even better for residents with disabilities who may find it more difficult to attend committee meetings?

Well with web based technology everyone could log on in their own time to listen and view what their local council is doing on their behalf.

Barnet always one to lead where others dare not go would not be the first. Here are but a few Councils who are promoting local democracy by making council committee meetings available for all residents.

Cardiff http://www.cardiff.ukcouncil.net/site/index.php?l=en_GB

Bristol http://www.bristol.public-i.tv/site/

Mole Valley http://www.molevalley.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1409

Devon http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/decision_making/webcasting.htm

Haringey http://www.haringey.ukcouncil.net/site/

So, when are we going to see Barnet online?

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The Barnet Eye always welcomes guest contributors - Email me here if you wish to have anything published

Dunkin' Mc Donut - The man to save Barnet's Tories from themselves?

One of the nicest politicians in Barnet is Duncan MacDonald. He's one of the few local politicians who I wouldn't mind going for a few pints with. He likes music he can have a bit of a laugh about things. To sum up, he's pretty down to earth. Some of Barnet's Tories are rather scornful of Duncan. They have a little nickname for him. They call him 'Dunkin Mc Donut'. They think this is highly amusing. I've not discussed this with Duncan, but I'd guess he's really not that bothered. Lets face it, if that's the best they can do......

Anyway, you may wonder why I have chosen to share the hilarious wit of the Barnet Tories with you? Well they have this Leader called Mike Freer, who to be quite honest, really doesn't cut the mustard. Their problem. Well they all agree that he's the best person to lead the party, despite a catalog of failures costing tens of millions of quid on his watch - Icelandic Banks, Aerodrome Road, Partingdale Lane, The Underhill enquiry, tellies on council officials desks, brand new laptops in storage etc.

It is plain to absolutely anyone that they need a better leader, but as they all agree they are even worse than Freer, they are stuck. Their big thing at the moment is "Future Shape of Barnet Council". Try hard as I have, I've been totally unable to work out what the millions of pounds of money, which have paid for armies of "consultants", have actually achieved. The truth is that no one has a clue what "Future Shape" really means. Mike Freer tried to explain to the Guardian last week. His explanation "It means that if you are an invalid stuck in bed, you have the choice between someone coming to wipe your arse or going on holiday to Benidorm" (Actually that wasn't exactly what he said, but it was words to that effect).

The whole scheme has drawn nothing but ridicule and scorn from all corners of the political world, starting with David Cameron and George Osborne. I've been to several council meetings and it is clear that no one has a clue what the whole project is about.

Well that was until today. I've finally had someone explain to me in plain English, what it's all about. I've finally seen an article where all the consultants gobbledegook is translated into language that a thicko like me (and the Tory cabinet) could understand. The man who achieved this miraculous feat? None other than the Tories favourite mid morning snack Mr Dunkin' Mc Donut himself. In his blog today, Duncan explains the scheme. I've no idea how much he got paid to produce this item on his blog, but it is far better written than anything I've seen from the £1000+ a day consultants. If you live in Barnet or you are interested in the scheme, you MUST read this.

I'd especially recommend my avid army of Tory Councillors who read this blog to check out Duncan's blog. As I read it, I realised that if the Tories had an ounce of sense they'd ditch Freer and poach Duncan MacDonald from the Lib Dems. They seem to think that Future Shape is the way to go and he's clearly the only Councillor who really understands it. As such he's clearly much less stupid than Freer or the rest of them. A Liberal leading the Tories, I hear you scoff. Well let me remind you that Great Britain's greatest ever prime minister, Winston Churchill was a Liberal who switched to the Tories. I'm not saying Duncan is the next Churchill, but he's a damn site better than any other options.

Israel's loss is our gain !!!!!

Of all the various people involved in Barnet Council over the years, I can say without question the most obnoxious was Ex Edgware Councillor Richard Weider. Luckily for the people of Barnet and Edgware in particular, Mr Weider decided to move to Israel earlier in the year. Now although I found Mr Weider to be a truly horrible individual in person, he writes a blog and at times it is quite interesting (usually for all the wrong reasons). Now I'm all for free speech and Mr Weider has at least used a blog on this site which is free. Mr Weider also took the trouble to give us his thoughts on the Future Shape project and the concept of the Ryanair Council. Tricky Dicky says

I hope when the plans are announced in late September/early October they really are radical. If they show that the costs to the Council are going to be cut and more importantly Council Tax can be reduced, I look forward to giving my support to these proposals.

So there you go. A bloke who had so much faith in the Mike Freer regime that he emigrated speaks. I recall hearing Mr Weider at a Hendon Area forum giving us the benefit of his wisdom on the subject last year. Vicki Morris stood up and tried to make a point about Future Shape. Bully boy Weider jumped to his feet and announced that as she worked for the council, she should be banned from speaking. The rather more sensible chairman of the forum, Councillor Brian Gordon gave him short shrift and let Vicki continue. Weider was so miffed at being shut up that he flounced out. I happened to be leaving at exactly the same time and walked out of the meeting with him. I took the opportunity to ask him whether he thought the "£1,000 a day consultants" working on Future Shape were good value for the Barnet taxpayer. Weider replied "£1,000 a day? That shows how out of touch you are, they get paid far more than that".

I suppose that he agrees with Councillor John Hart that the Council shouldn't provide carers for the disabled who can't wipe their own backsides. I suppose he agrees with Council Leader Mike Freer's assertation that people who cannot look after themselves due to disability should have to choose between living in squalour without a cleaner or not having someone to help them wash/dress go to the toilet.

If truth be told I guess I'm a selfish sod. I'm glad Weider emigrated and that I don't have to suffer his antics anymore. When it comes down to it the less influence such awful people as Weider have on my life the better. In a reverse on the old Axiom, Israel's loss is our gain.

Barnets guilty elite make me hope I die before I get old

A comment from someone over the weekend made me sit down and think. They asked me this question. The person who asked was a disaffected former Tory voter who works for Barnet Council. It is clear to anyone who has followed the Freer regime and the shenanigans of Brian Coleman, that the Tory Party in Barnet has LOST THE PLOT COMPLETELY.

Disastrous policies such as the Warden Cuts. Bad decisions such as Iceland and Aerodrome Road. Making Coleman Mayor, in a severe recession, when we all know he'll try and spend his way out of it on cabs with our money. Officers with tellies on their desks, junkets to the USA & Cannes. The list is endless.

The question my friend asked me? "Who do you think is really to blame?" Well firstly, it's not me. I didn't vote for them. What about all of the people who did vote Tory? Well actually they voted for a party lead by Brian Salinger, who was deposed by Freer shortly after he won the Election. How would you feel if David Cameron wins the next election and the next day all of his MP's dumped him and replaced him with a hard righter (or the bloke with the Duck House on expenses). That's what Barnet's Tories did. But did they? How many Barnet Tories actually voted against Salinger? Well there are 33 of them. A minimum of 17 and a maximum of 31, given that it's likely that Salinger & his wife had some confidence. Wikipedia says there are 329,000 people in Barnet. 31 at a maximum lumbered us with Freer. That is less than 0.001% of the population.

The people who put Freer in, the 17-31 Tories, not only cocked a snook at the electorate, they will soon be responsible for Corporate Manslaughter. Freer's keynote policy is abolition of the Sheltered housing wardens. Rather than have a local warden, who can pop in and keep an eye, they will get a "lifeline". This is a panic alarm. My mum had one. When she broke her hip, she wasn't wearing the button (it's on a necklace around the neck). She'd had a wash, taken it off and forgotten to put it back on. Luckily, I visited 45 minutes after her fall. The elderly often do things such as this. Highly paid consultants just don't understand this.

There is another scenario, they've not considered. What if the phone line breaks? Then the lifeline doesn't work. This happened to my mother twice in the last 5 years of her life. Then they will be completely alone and utterly exposed.

Then there is one last scenario, which the council haven't mentioned. Many of the residents, more than anywhere else in the country are of Jewish extraction. Sadly there are sick individuals who may see them as a soft target. A live in warden can keep an eye out for dodgy individuals. Who will be the eyes and ears when they are gone.

All of the above scenarios are easily predictable. If an on site warden prevents just one death that would have happened under the new system, Barnet is resposnible for Corporate Manslaughter. This is a criminal offence.

Mike Freer in his disgracefully misleading blog, suggests that the warden cuts mean a better care package for the 55,000 other people aged over 65 in Barnet. This is hogwash for the following reasons.

a) Many people over 65 are fit and active and require no care package at all - they are fit and healthy.

b) The council has a duty of care to provide this service already to anyone who needs it. Barnet already have to do this. If Freer is saying they are currently failing the vulnerable in Barnet after 7 years of Tory administration, he should admit it.

c) The money they've spent on Consultants to draw up reports on future shape, would have funded retention of the wardens and paid for a floating warden service.

d) Other budget savings have been identified, which would negate the need for cuts. The reason that these were dismissed out of hand is because they suggested cuts to allowances for Freer's mates on the Council, who staged the coup that elected him. Many council's have adopted an "allowance cap". Mike Freer is extremely popular with the 11 Tory Cabinet members as under his leadership, Barnet Council has lead the way in paying the maximum possible.

One other thing really disturbs me about the new plans for sheltered housing. The bloke drawing up the future shape scheme for Barnet Council is a chap called Max Wide. He works for BT and is on secondment to Barnet. My friends at the Council, tell me he has Mike Freer's ear. Is it any coincidence that the wardens are being replaced by a scheme which makes extensive use of telephones? BT paid for Mike Freer to participate in a Leadership Scheme called Vital Vision. Where is he leading us - to a land where people are replaced by called centres. Press 1 for a Heart attack, 2 for blocked Drains, 3 for a nutter burning your house down or hold for an operator who will be with you some time soon.

So yes, that's who I blame. Barnet's guilty elite, with their fat allowances and contempt for the electors of Barnet.


As Roger Daltrey of the who sang so famously "Hope I Die Before I Get Old". He's lucky, he doesn't live in Barnet !

What do consultants do for their money in Barnet?

The various reports about the Future Shape scheme to privatise the council detail a figure of £650,000 being spent on consultants to draw up reports. As if this wasn't bad enough, they are paying for them by sacking wardens for the Borough's Sheltered housing (saving £450,000). In short, the council are cutting back on poorly paid front line staff, who's focus is helping the vulnerable to pay for expensive outsiders to draw up management reports. How much do we pay these "consultants". I've really no idea, but former Tory Councillor Richard Weider sneered when I suggested £1,000 a day in the car park of Broadfields school at a Hendon Residents Forum meeting "You're out of touch, it's much more than that".

I have a few friends who work for some of the big consultancy firms. One of them told me a rather interesting story about his first assignment. At the time, the consultants were getting into IT and had recruited him from a large, bureaucratic organisation, where he was a technical guru. For his first assignment he was told he was being sent for a month to a large customer who were having performance problems with their IT systems. He was told that his brief was to produce a report detailing performance enhancements. He was told to look for "other business opportunities" for the firm. He turned up and the IT mangaer detailed the problem. My friend listened and then explained that he'd seen exactly the same problems at his previous employers. He said that a simple adjustment to the Cache memory would immediately fix the problems completely. The IT manager was impressed. My friend explained that the change could be done in flight (ie immediately). The IT manager was even more impressed. He said that he would get an administrator password and they could see if it worked. Within 1/2 an hour all of the problems had been cured. Users who had been pressing a button and waiting five minutes, suddenly got an instant response. The IT manager took my friend for a celebratory beer & lunch. He informed him that he inform his boss that he'd done a fantastic job, in a tenth of the anticipated time. The IT manager said he'd recommend my friend for a bonus.

Next day, my friend turned up back at his own office. What greeted him rather shocked him. His manager and a director called him into an office. Once the door shut, the director started swearing at him "are you a F******* imbecile, are you a moron, I'll tell you what you are, you are C***". My friend reeled back. He said "You asked me to sort the problems out, I did. What did they say". The director spat back "You are a C***. You just don't get it, do you?" My friend enquired what he'd done wrong. The director said in an extremely patronising fashion "OK, I'll spell it out, as you seem to thick to grasp it for yourself. We sent you there for two weeks. That means two weeks income for the firm. You stayed one day. We asked you to look for other business opportunities. You fixed all of the problems, so no more work, all the doors shut". My friend said "But it was a simple problem, what was I supposed to do?". At this, another tirade followed, the director then said "You had two weeks. You should have suggested a partial fix. They would have seen an improvement and been impressed. We could have got another month's revenue out of them. Your job is to generate revenue, not fix things". My friend decided that the job was not for him after that.

I've no idea how typical that is, but I can assure you I've heard many similar tales, if not quite that bad. The mantra Barnet Council Leader Mike Freer repeats every time he has to justify the cuts to the warden service is "We can't carry on doing things the way we used to. We have to change" I prefer the mantra "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

I can give you three famous examples of businesses that made pots of money and then decided to transform themselves. Marconi, Northern Rock and Enron.

I ask you this. Take a simple Council function, one we all use - Refuse Collection. How on earth can a consultant transform that. You can privatise it so the staff earn less, the drivers don't stop when they bash into cars, for fear of the sack & the directors of the contractors make a pot of money. Barnet tried this in the 1980's and it failed miserably. Even staunch Tories got fed up with the lousy service. This was one reason why the Lib/Lab regime came to power. This council have shown that they cannot manage contractors. Aerodrome Road, with it's £11 million cost overrun proves this.

I don't know what Mike Freer expects the consultants to deliver, but I'll wager £50 to his favourite charity, that one of the main recommendations is that there is a further round of consultancy. We all know how much satisfaction Mike Freer would take from getting that cheque, so I await his call with bated breath !!!!!