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Tory council to consider wholesale privatisation of services

November 9, 2011 5:27 pm

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Tory-run Southampton City Council could adopt a complete privatisation of services, under plans to be discussed by councillors on November 16th. The changes would change the very nature of the council, and mean that the authority becomes primarily a commissioning body by as soon as 2015 – without public consultation. Indeed the privatisation blueprint itself – called the “Change Programme” – states that:

“By 2015, we expect to be primarily, a commissioning council.”

Additionally, the report says that outsourcing group Capita is to be invited to meetings of the council’s Leadership Group.

In recent months Unite and Unison members have been locked in a dispute with the council over imposed wage cuts of up to 5.5%. The unions have proposed alternative plans for budget balancing, including wage freezes and temporary pay cuts, but these proposals have been rejected by the council.

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  • Anonymous

    We knew Southampton had been planning this for a while, they intend to battle the Unions, now it’s up to the workers and the Unions to come together and fight this.

    If not then I think this will be the norm for a lot of councils including some labour ones who also battle the Unions.

    But I suspect a few ex Tories will be  looking at the contracts.

    National strike anyone.

  • Anonymous

    It is mind boggling.

    How is this supposed to work?

    J

    • Anonymous

      A number of firms  take on the contracts of doing the councils work and the council becomes basically  a main contractor with sub contractors below it.

      • Anonymous

        Thanks Robert; I’m just trying to get my head around how that could apply to core essential services that need to be ongoing, consistent, and guaranteed scrutiny/ oversight of quality.

        (For example, not subject to purely profit driven motives, competition, or the vagaries of the “market.”)

        I’m considering areas like social care for the elderly, such as day care or home helps; libraries, youth centres/workers; mental health/allied social care provision; refuse collection, park management, road repairs, street lighting, budgets for police, schools, general infrastructure of towns, villages and cities.
        Housing.

        I think it’s OK to have some mix of different sectors- eg charity funding for specific projects; but to remove the whole safety net and infrastructure and all the protections that go with it seems highly risky and irresponsible.

        Also, how will quality of services be measured and monitored if becomes fragmented, and individual businesses take over?

        We need a fully integrated system with all sectors working together, but not
        decimating essential services for the sake of an ideological mission or narrow views.

        Most especially, local people must be involved in consultation, and continuously along the way. I wonder if these measures have been applied democratically?

        I think some seem to think if everything is left to the private sector and market driven system, it will miraculously work itself out;
        a bit like the “wild west.”

        Have time and experience proven that to be the case?

        Jo

        • Anonymous

          I don’t understand why you assume this plan will ‘remove the whole safety net and infrastructure and all the protections that go with it’

          For example – police & fire services are paid for by councils but delivered by others – to budgets provided by councils. Additionally where I live refuse collection, road repairs & park management etc  are all ‘outsourced’.

          The council manages delivery to the contracts. So they can do the same with most of the services they are required to provide, in my view.

          So yes – time & experience here prove it works. 

  • Winston

    Interesting. This could settle a few arguments, couldn’t it?

  • http://twitter.com/EdwardJamesBond Edward Bond

    I cant really see the problem

  • benpowell87

    The simple reason for this is that when you outsource something, it is more ‘efficient,’ which means that it is cheaper and has nothing to do with efficiency. 

    TUPE will obviously come into play, but over the medium to long term, the amount that staff are paid will reduce, the numbers of staff employed will reduce, the terms and conditions of staff will be poorer etc.  Being able to squeeze more work out of employees for less money is where the profit margin comes from.

    The fact that services will be delivered by profit-led organisations, which are not accountible and which have failed on many occasions nationally and locally is a price they see as being worth paying.

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