Kerching! Barnet Council pays millions to one firm of consultants

Barnet Council published their supplier payments for March today and this means we now have the payments for the complete financial year. This month sees some large payments to various suppliers including:

Barnet Lighting £1,458,123.15
City Suburban Tree Surgeons Ltd £352,790.06
Civica UK Ltd £436,493.51
Trowers & Hamlins £171,562.09

However one number which jumps off the page this month is the payment to Agilisys, the One Barnet Implementation Partner. In March Agilisys were paid £619,656.75. That brings the total fees paid to Agilisys for the first three months of 2012 to over £1.1 million and over £2.8 million since they started.

I am sure that Agilisys do an excellent job but at a time when massive cuts are being made to the services of the most vulnerable, have Barnet Council got their priorities rights spending over £2.8 million with just one firm of consultants.

One Barnet is a project shrouded in secrecy. Residents are not allowed to discuss it at residents forums. How much longer can Councillors spend such vast sums of money without openly discussing this subject with the ratepayers of Barnet?