Suffolk council plans to outsource virtually all services

Heyman_2

robin_banks wrote: »

If they don't provide the services, vote councillors out. If staff don't perform get rid.

If these companies breach contracts and believe me they will you could be stuck with them for a very long time and it won't be cheaper.

Quite right. Also, once they have their feet under the table they will make it VERY difficult for the council to change providers at the end of their contract. Your average Contracts Manager at the council simply won't want the aggro, meaning the local taxpayer will be stuck with them.

robin_banks

Heyman wrote: »

Quite right. Also, once they have their feet under the table they will make it VERY difficult for the council to change providers at the end of their contract. Your average Contracts Manager at the council simply won't want the aggro, meaning the local taxpayer will be stuck with them.

Googel Rushcliffe Council (Ken Clarke is the MP for Rushcliffe) +Swimming Pool +PFI

Interesting reading.

blueboy43

bendix wrote: »

Yes. Ummmm. Because profit is . . . ummmm . . bad.

In the context of education, public schools don't seem to have done a bad job considering profit motive was not the objective.

Still, as some are only 1400 years old, its early days.

The_White_Horse

outsourced companies like this ARE NOT PRIVATE SECTOR, they are the public sector in a dress.

if they want things to truly be private sector, then lower the council tax and then let companies, for example, collect rubbish. (obviously it has to be law that you MUST have your rubbish collected at least fortnightly). this way, if 4 or 5 firms offer me a service, i will take the one i want - whether it be fortnightly for a fiver, weekly for a tenner or daily for 15 quid. whatever. if you have a genuine choice, it private sector.

this is not.

kabayiri

I suspect one of the clients I have done work for will win more work through this.

This will mean they can recruit more staff, and house back office staff in cheaper locations.

It's a process we are all familiar with, lets be honest.

Really2

wherediditallgothen wrote: »

I understand what you mean, but in the case of schools I consider profit to be sending well educated and prepared kids to the next level of education, or work depending on the level of education they are currently at.

Schools are council funded but are independent of council control. They can't outsource schools.

Current heads can opt to become academies if they want more control and funding options. But they still receive the same funds from the council.

bendix

Heyman wrote: »

It's bad if it comes at the expense of providing a good, accountable service and not one provided by a faceless private sector company that has no incentive to provide a good service once they've won the contract.

If the private company provides a bad service, they lose the contract. A contract is not in perpetuity. A smart buyer will build KPIs into the outsourcing arrangements and those KPIs can be linked to simple metrics like customer satisfaction, service levels etc.

If they don't achieve them - and they are set by the council - there can be a range of financial penalties including losing the contract.

That is the beauty of competition, something which DOESNT exist when the services are provided by the public sector.

It's not rocket science.

bendix

robin_banks wrote: »

If they don't provide the services, vote councillors out. If staff don't perform get rid.

If these companies breach contracts and believe me they will you could be stuck with them for a very long time and it won't be cheaper.

You obviously don't have a clue how outsourcing contracts are drafted and negotiated these days. It is a whole area of law and it is designed to benefit the buyer.

chocsessential

It is a huge buck passing exercise. When things go wrong Suffolk CC can say it's got nothing to do with them any more. Much as I admire volunteers I will be on the picket lines if library staff lose their jobs to be replaced by well meaning but inexperienced helpers. This is one of the options being discussed in Suffolk at the moment.

bendix

chocsessential wrote: »

It is a huge buck passing exercise. When things go wrong Suffolk CC can say it's got nothing to do with them any more. Much as I admire volunteers I will be on the picket lines if library staff lose their jobs to be replaced by well meaning but inexperienced helpers. This is one of the options being discussed in Suffolk at the moment.

Let me guess. You work in a public library in Suffolk . . .