Briefing Number 14 Cornwall Council update

Dear Councillors

To view briefing click here 

I am sure you are all aware that earlier this week Cornwall Council voted to halt the privatisation of back office services to a Joint Venture company. One of the Bidders decided to withdraw before the decision and the remaining bidder BT has said it will wait.

 

Earlier this month the Former Deputy Leader Cornwall Council announced

 

“I am resigning from the Cabinet today as I feel that I have pushed the cause of retaining Council control over Joint Ventures as far as I can with the Cabinet.

The financial risks involved with the rush into the new Joint Venture proposals are unacceptable. The JV is basically too large to control. We have wasted £42m+ on the Unitary, £42m+ on the Incinerator and we are now proposing to risk a great deal more on the Joint Venture.

I welcome your somewhat ambiguous offer to respect Full Council decisions on the 23rd October but I know you will never let go.

I could not leave local government with billions of pounds of Cornish Taxpayers money at risk and on my conscience.

Alec, this matter has never been personal.

Yours aye

Jim”

 

Please find enclosed short briefing on Cornwall.

 

As ever if there is a point of clarification or concern please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Best wishes

John Burgess

Branch Secretary.

Barnet UNISON

0208 359 2088

www.barnetunison.me.uk

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UNISON presentation on One Barnet

The One Barnet Programme is a serious matter. It involves in excess of Billion Pounds of tax payers money.

Last week UNISON regional secretary Linda Perks wrote to all 63 councillors. UNISON will provide regular updates on who has confirmed they are attending.

UNISON wil be reporting on who respionds and who attends.

To view the letter click here. 

Councillor Hugh Rayner (Conservative) Chair of Business Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wednesday 24 October 2012)

Councillor Hugh Rayner (Conservative) Chair of Business Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Wednesday 24 October 2012).

“I’ve let out contracts myself…and what I learnt is the word change or variance because I know that they are tied into me for the contract and this is where I can make all my profit and make up for the low price I bid , would you like to comment how we escape from that?”

Barnet Council’s new Interim Chief Executive, Andrew Travers responds

“That’s the normal response of the private sector.”

View the exchange yourself 2 minutes 37 seconds to 3 minutes 10 seconds of the video clip below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KkXxGnF-3M&feature=plcp

Barnet Council’s new Interim Chief Executive, Andrew Travers, explains OneBarnet

On Wednesday 24 October 2012 Barnet Alliance submitted a Petition called Stop the One Barnet Programme

http://petitions.barnet.gov.uk/StopOneBarnet/

This allowed a Barnet resident to speak to their petition, take questions and listen to the interim Chief Executive to respond.

Barnet Council’s new Interim Chief Executive, Andrew Travers, explains OneBarnet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v8zJ27RHOA&feature=plcp

TRANSCRIPT BELOW

Mr Travers, Barnet’s Acting Interim CEO is asked by Hugh Raynor, Chair of Business Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to take a seat.

Thank you very much Chairman. The One Barnet Programme as set out in the current report, has its genesis originally in 2008 so has been considered as Council policy from that point and in numerous occasions since then.  If I could just sum up some of the challenges that are recognised in that Programme and the response then maybe that would give a flavour of why I think the Programme exists as it does today.

Firstly, the Programme, I think, recognises a period of exceptional challenge for public services and for local authorities so we know that we are in a period of extreme austerity. I think we can probably anticipate that that will continue for a number of years. One of the consequences of that is that the Council’s support from Central Government, I mentioned earlier, is likely to decrease by somewhere between 30 and 50%. This level of reduction is unprecedented. Coupled with that we know that Barnet is a growing and changing place. Population growth is rapid, has been in the last 10 years and continues for the next 10 years and also the expectations of citizens for public services are increasing and expectations are the way in which the Council can tailor its services to the public – is a clear and important factor. So for those reasons of context the Council has, I would recognise that, has considered quite carefully about how it responds to the unprecedented challenge and needs a carefully thought through response.

But also I think given the nature of the challenge needs to think quite radically about how Council services can be brokered in that context and I think that is the clear context for the Programme that has informed member decision making about it. In terms of the implementation of the Programme the way in which it has been taken to all of this is effectively to consider service areas on a case by case basis against that background and against the 3 objectives of the Programme which are around a new relationship with citizens; a one public sector approach; and a relentless drive for efficiency. So taking service areas on a case by case basis, as I’ve said,  to consider options for future delivery against that context and agenda and then to select a preferred option for delivery and then to that an impact a preferred option. And as I’ve said earlier there are some projects which have already been implemented and some that are in the process of being implemented.

Taking the Programme as a whole we are trying to track both financial and non-financial benefits of the project within the Programme. As we’ve been saying said the financial benefits over a 10 year period are anticipated to be about £111million. There are 115 non-financial benefits which are tracked within the Programme which in effect are the wider aspirations driven by the 3 objectives that I’ve referred to.

Council has recognised and officers have recognised that this is a very challenging Programme to deliver. Change of this nature is clearly always difficult. The number of different delivery approaches within the Programme are such that we need to make sure we manage the risk of delivery very carefully. The way in which we have sought to do that is to try and make sure that the Council increases its capacity within its core workforce to manage a Programme of this nature effectively but has also supplemented that with a number external expertise in respect of commercial, contractual and legal matters so in that way we try and make sure we deliver the Programme safely and effectively and we protect continuity of services for residents now and through the change process.

Just to finish, Chairman I think worth noting that there are a number of approaches being taken in the 1 Barnet programme as to how outsourced services are to be delivered. There are clearly a wide range of services that are delivered at the moment in-house. There are some services which are being delivered through a shared service, for example with legal service with Harrow. There are some services delivered via the Barnet Group Arms Length Company and there are some services which it is planned to deliver through outsourced arrangements. So the context and the approach really resulted in the Council seeing itself as being a Commissioner of services and commissioning those services from those agents best able to deliver and there is a rational process of its own in that and we try and manage those risks as effectively as we possibly can. Thank you Chairman.

 

Cornwall Council halts privatisation plan

1. Cornwall Council halts privatisation plan

Cornwall councillors have voted unanimously to halt a deal which would have seen some public jobs and services moved into the private sector.

They voted to review the proposal but also to consider other options.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-20047222

 

2. Council’s privatisation plans placed on hold

Plans to sell off Cornwall Council services to a private company are on hold following a debate at New County Hall today.

The controversial proposals had led to a vote of no confidence in former council leader Alec Robertson last week after attempts to push the deal through despite opposition from councillors.

A motion passed by the council yesterday will see the plans put on hold to allow a full investigation of the future of council services to take place

http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/cornwall_news/10001524.Council_s_privatisation_plans_placed_on_hold/

 

3. Cornwall joint venture plans put on hold

Cornwall Council has called a halt to a major shared services deal after councillors raised concerns about the proposals.

Talks with BT on the creation of a large scale joint venture are to be put on hold and chief executive Kevin Lavery has been asked to carry out a full investigation of alternative methods of delivering services in the future.

http://www.lgcplus.com/topics/procurement/cornwall-joint-venture-plans-put-on-hold/5050988.article

 

4. Cornwall Council leader announces details of new Council Cabinet

The leader of Cornwall Council Jim Currie has announced details of the Council’s new Cabinet.

 

At today’s meeting of the full Council Mr Currie, who was elected as the Council’s Leader last week, announced that there will be 11 portfolio holders in the new Cabinet.

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Cornwall-Council-leader-announces-details-new/story-17157967-detail/story.html

 

5. Cornwall privatisation plan on hold

The proposal involved contracting out the running of services including libraries, one stop shops, payroll and IT to private firm BT. At a full council meeting this lunchtime members were asked to vote on a motion for the council to reverse its decision to proceed with a ‘Strategic Partnership for Support Services’ until the majority of councillors supported the idea.

93 councillors voted to approve that motion, none voted against and there 7 abstentions. The council is now expected to look at other options. The privatisation plan proved controversial because full council had already voted against it last month, but the council’s cabinet had continued to pursue the idea.

http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2012-10-23/cornwall-privatisation-plan-on-hold/

 

 

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