Barnet want to sell off Hendon Cemetery!

Incredibly this income generating service has been included in the privatisation of Development & Public Health Services despite the fact that a full Options Appraisal which included staff and Trade Unions clearly demonstrated the in-house service was by far the best value for money option.

I was involved in this Options Appraisal, interestingly this is the only Options Appraisal the Trade Unions (TU’s) & staff have been involved in. All the other Future Shape projects have been shut down in terms of TU & staff involvement. This is a service that generates income to the Council. In these times it is vital that any income produced should be directed back into front line services, literally every pound earned is precious.

So why is the Council prepared to give away this income with the private sector whilst at the same makes decisions to cuts services and jobs?

I can still remember the Westminster Cemeteries fiasco as I used to work for Westminster Council. I was chasing after the Leader of the Council Shirley Porter along with the BBC Panorama camera crew as she was entering the Town hall.

For those unfamiliar with the Westminster story:

“The decision to sell three cemeteries for five pence each was taken when the council was led by Dame Shirley Porter, the Tesco heiress, during the 1980s. She was later surcharged by the District Auditor for her part in the “homes for votes scandal”, in which council property was sold off in the hope of importing Tory voters to marginal wards.

Westminster bought back the graves at Mill Hill, Hanwell and East Finchley cemeteries in June 1992 at an estimated cost of £4 million. However, the owners kept all the unused land.”

You can read the full article here