Northamptonshire, Barnet, East Sussex - Bankrupt

[SirGalahad]

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...austerity-outsourcing-northamptonshire-barnet

Yep all three are Tory run councils following an idiotic policy of extreme outsourcing.

Northamptonshire and Barnet have pursued outsourcing and austerity to the point of collapse.

Barnet’s plan was to slash direct employees from 3,200 to just 332, while Northamptonshire wanted to outsource 95% of its staff.

the council confessed that it faces a giant financial black hole – precisely the fate that their masterplan was meant to safeguard against. The council will now have to cut services even more drastically.

Barnet’s pensions are in such a state that last year the regulator fined Capita for not filing essential information on time. Roads, also managed by Capita, are so potholed that they became a big issue in the May elections.

All of this is costing not less money, but more. Just how much more not even the council’s leaders are clear. The Tories went into the May elections boasting of the borough’s financial stability; the next month they confessed to a black hole of £62m

 

[motorbiking]

You might want to look at East Sussex a little closer - I picked them at random. I'd guess you need to be in overall power a bit longer than 12 months to bugger it up. Not saying they didn't btw..

 

[Bodd]

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...austerity-outsourcing-northamptonshire-barnet

Yep all three are Tory run councils following an idiotic policy of extreme outsourcing.

Northamptonshire and Barnet have pursued outsourcing and austerity to the point of collapse.

Barnet’s plan was to slash direct employees from 3,200 to just 332, while Northamptonshire wanted to outsource 95% of its staff.

the council confessed that it faces a giant financial black hole – precisely the fate that their masterplan was meant to safeguard against. The council will now have to cut services even more drastically.

Barnet’s pensions are in such a state that last year the regulator fined Capita for not filing essential information on time. Roads, also managed by Capita, are so potholed that they became a big issue in the May elections.

All of this is costing not less money, but more. Just how much more not even the council’s leaders are clear. The Tories went into the May elections boasting of the borough’s financial stability; the next month they confessed to a black hole of £62m

I've never understood why we as a country outsource.

Why is Camerlott running the lottery
Why is the QE2 bridge run by the French or the railways.

Surley all this could be managed by a good team put together by local and national government Or is it that councils government departments might have to do a proper day's work for 5 days on the trot that scares them.

 

[JohnD]

It's because Tory governments hate public ownership of public services.

They strongly disapprove of government ownership and control even of utilities like railways, water, sewers and electricity.

Unless it's a foreign government, in which case it's fine.

 

[Bodd]

It's because Tory governments hate public ownership of public services.

They strongly disapprove of government ownership and control even of utilities like railways, water, sewers and electricity.

Unless it's a foreign government, in which case it's fine.

Totally agree.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Councils have to pay the workers reasonably well and the bosses only get a reasonable salary, albeit too high in some places.

Conservatives believe in outsourcing the work to their friends' companies who will get away with paying the workers as little as possible while their friends rake in millions and give back-handers.

Obviously, all things being equal it would be better to 'do it yourself' in house.



I remember a case of South West Water (dearest in the country); people were complaining that the boss was being paid a very high salary and the reason/excuse was that they had to pay high salaries to attract the right calibre of person.
It was, though, the same person who was doing the job before privatisation - probably had shares as well.

 

[SirGalahad]

You might want to look at East Sussex a little closer - I picked them at random. I'd guess you need to be in overall power a bit longer than 12 months to bugger it up. Not saying they didn't btw..

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Sussex_County_Council


Been under conservative leadership since 2011 and Tory's always been the largest party throughout its history.

You may know better (you live there?) But the point is about the ideological outsourcing.

 

[motorbiking]

I don't live there. but outsourcing has been a stupid trend (now seems to be reversing) everywhere.

 

[SirGalahad]

I don't live there. but outsourcing has been a stupid trend (now seems to be reversing) everywhere.

I've worked on large outsourcing projects. They only work when you have a shortage of labour, and for very specific outcomes but when the main impetus is cost cutting, well you buy cheap , you buy twice.

 

[HawkEye244]

I've never understood why we as a country outsource.

Why is Camerlott running the lottery
Why is the QE2 bridge run by the French or the railways.

Surley all this could be managed by a good team put together by local and national government Or is it that councils government departments might have to do a proper day's work for 5 days on the trot that scares them.

I'll tell you why : because council's get targeted by private money lenders. It's one of the reasons a lot of councils have LOBO loans - they hire financial planners (who are working for private companies on the sly) who advice the council to take out debts at rates they can never afford to repay. They also pay through the nose for this sh1t advice. Same thing happens with regards to outsourcing.

I'm not surprised by this news - Barnet especially. More and more inner city council's are basically contracting out their responsibilities because the money is being swallowed up by racketeers.

People who say blame theTories more than Labour are helping create a distraction from the real issue. It's got nothing to do with either side, it's a cultural and inherent corruption within our government institutions, and happens whoever is in power at the time. We are to blame for letting it happen continually and continuing to vote for a system that is beyond corrupt.

 

[HawkEye244]

I don't live there. but outsourcing has been a stupid trend (now seems to be reversing) everywhere.

Because despite demanding money from you the local authority doesn't actually want to do any work for it.

 

[Notch7]

I've worked on large outsourcing projects. They only work when you have a shortage of labour, and for very specific outcomes but when the main impetus is cost cutting, well you buy cheap , you buy twice.

They seem to spend all the money on expensive corporate branding; fancy head office, website, sign written vans.....but no bog paper in the loos