Briefing Number 9 – Regulatory Services & Risk

Dear Councillors

Please find enclosed briefing number 9 entitled ‘Regulatory Services & Risk’.  (to view click here)

The One Barnet Development & Regulatory Services Project has bundled together the following services

Trading Standards & Licensing, Land Charges, Planning & Development, Building Control & Structures, Environmental Health, Highways Strategy, Highways Network Management, Highways Traffic & Development, Highways Transport & Regeneration, Strategic Planning & Regeneration, Cemeteries & Crematoria,

Many of these services are Statutory Services that are critical to the well-being of Barnet and its residents.

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

Local resident Mr Reasonable produces Graph of Choices

Local Barnet resident and Blogger Mr Reasonable has through a series of FOI requests and follow up emails managed to take a closer look at the robustness of the what has been referred to nationally as the ‘Graph of Doom’

His analysis is crucial for Barnet residents because this graph has been used by councillors in power to justify the outsourcing of over 70% of council services,

Mr Reasonable has submitted hundreds of questions to a variety of council meetings in attempt to try and develop a dialogue with councillors.

I hope this analysis will begin a ‘different relationship with citizens; one in which the council opens up the possibility that there are alternatives to the One Barnet Programme mass outsourcing.

http://reasonablenewbarnet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/graph-of-doom-fact-or-fantasy.html

Download PDF here

What would Shakespeare make of One Barnet? – JV, or not JV, that is the question:

 Many of us are familiar with the following

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer

The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,

Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,”

but no so familiar with the One Barnet influence

“JV, or not JV, that is the question:

Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind of councillors to suffer

The Slings (poor performance) and Arrows (no savings) of outrageous failure of One Barnet Programme,

Or to support your staff, your in-house services”

Joint Venture Yes, Joint Venture No, what is going on?

“What I have heard from the Leader, is that he will take a substantial amount of convincing before we get anywhere near a joint venture, so if I was a gambling man, which I am not, I think you could probably put the Icelandic Bank deposits….on there won’t be a joint venture if I was a gambling man, so , quite , quite why councillor Schneiderman you need to be excited about something which is highly unlikely to happen I am not sure.”

Waych here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0RlRku_wvI

(Councillor Brian Coleman, Chair of Budget Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Wednesday 19 September 2012).

Those in attendance at this meeting were the Leader, Deputy Leader and the Interim Director of Planning, Environment and Regeneration. They had ample opportunity to correct this very powerful statement, but chose to say nothing.

The very next day staff working in were informed that both bidders Capita Symonds & EC Harris have been told that a joint venture is the councils preferred option. The winning bidder will therefore submit a joint venture proposal in order to win the £275million pound ten year contract to run Barnet Councils Regulatory Services

The One Barnet Project Development & Regulatory Services (DRS) is looking to privatise the following Council services:

Trading Standards & Licensing, Land Charges, Planning & Development, Building Control & Structures, Environmental Health, Highways Strategy, Highways Network Management, Highways Traffic & Development, Highways Transport & Regeneration, Strategic Planning & Regeneration, Cemeteries & Crematoria.

Joint Venture DRS Saga continues…..

For the last 7 days I have been trying to get to the bottom of the sudden change in direction for the DRS One Barnet project. Everyone working across DRS should have seen the council committee discussion, if not I suggest you take a look here.  As you can see in the exchange in emails with the Deputy Leader here it is patently obvious the service delivery model for DRS will be a Joint Venture. UNISON has provided two briefings on Joint Ventures for councillors which you can view online here and here 

“A disaster and a waste of money, Southwest One was the firm set up five years ago in conjunction with computer giant IBM, but there has been a bitter & expensive falling out, the company has just begun legal action against the council..”(BBC news 18 September 2012. To view click here)

This Joint Venture was raised by Conservative MP Ian Liddell Grainger speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday 18 September 2012 (you can read the Hansard transcript here scroll down to 3.6 pm.

“It gives me no pleasure to rise to talk about a failed procurement project that has cost every citizen in Somerset a great deal of wasted money and time. Southwest One is a joint venture between Somerset county council, Taunton Deane council, Avon and Somerset police and IBM—one of the world’s biggest IT firms. It is a classic example of how not to do public procurement.”

He finished off by saying:

“This is a national, not a local, scandal. The district auditor gave Southwest One glowing reports. The Audit Commission whitewashed the lot. There is now overwhelming evidence to prove that the auditors were grossly negligent. Southwest One should be—must be—examined properly by the National Audit Office..” 

Briefing Number 8 entitled How Joint Ventures Work

Dear Councillors

Please find enclosed Briefing Number 8 entitled ‘How Joint Ventures Work’ (to view click here)

Please note the 5 questions at the end of the briefing which I have submitted to the senior officers for a response.

I would like to leave you with the words of Conservative MP Ian Liddell Grainger speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday 18 September 2012 (you can read the Hansard transcript here scroll down to 3.6 pm

“It gives me no pleasure to rise to talk about a failed procurement project that has cost every citizen in Somerset a great deal of wasted money and time. Southwest One is a joint venture between Somerset county council, Taunton Deane council, Avon and Somerset police and IBM—one of the world’s biggest IT firms. It is a classic example of how not to do public procurement.”

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

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