Dear BT and Capita,
I know you are both currently in the running for the NSCSO outsourcing contract worth an estimated £750 million. I am sure you have spent a long time talking to the Council and their consultants and I realise that you have arranged some time to meet with and talk to the staff at Barnet Council. However, I was wondering if either of you could find some time to talk to some of the residents of Barnet who want to understand what you are proposing, particularly as, potentially, we are going to be your customers and ultimately we, as rate payers, pay the bill.
While you're there Capita perhaps we could talk about the DRS contract (worth an estimated £250 million).
There are a load of questions I am keen to get an answer to but so far Barnet Council have managed to avoid answering. They do not want to engage with the community in any way on the One Barnet Project. We are not allowed to discuss it at our local residents forums and the Scrutiny committee set up to oversee the process was scrapped. If you are serious about taking over such a large element of local services I think it is not unreasonable that you should come and talk to some of the residents as well.
This is a genuine request. I take a great interest in Barnet, it's where I live and a place I care for. With such a massive change on the way I just want to understand what you are planning and how it will affect me and all the other local residents who care so passionately about their community.
I know this may seem a bit rude to poor old EC Harris, who I am sure are very nice people, but everything I hear suggests that you haven't got a cat's chance in hell of winning. However If you want a chat please feel free to get in touch.
Kind regards
Mr Reasonable
Very good, Mr R.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we should be approaching our councillors, particularly the Cabinet, because they are the political masters who tell the contractors what we want and what to do.
Ha, ha!
Except that the councillors have already admitted they (most of them) know damn all about One Barnet. So who is it who is actually in charge?
It must be the senior officers, Nick Walkley et al. They are part of a small clique of local government professionals, with multiple formal and informal links and ideological ties to the companies in the running for the contracts.
This whole bandwagon has so little democratic input or control in it, it ought to considered more of a scandal than it is!
But this little diatribe has given me an idea...