DCSIMG

April 15: Bungled contract will cost us dearly


Published on Wednesday 15 April 2009 09:44

The report on the county council's handling of its property maintenance contract with Carillion is just about the most damming and embarrassing report on the conduct of a local authority I have ever seen in 26 years a councillor.

Anyone can read it for themselves; it is a public document, available on the county council website.

The external legal advice concludes: "It appears that council officers and members made difficult and potentially very significant and costly decisions involving legal judgments without taking sufficient legal and professional advice (internal and external) at every stage where it would be appropriate to do so."

When the Conservatives took control of County Hall in 2005, they appointed three councillors, Brian Binley, Bill Parker and Robin Brown, to look after the council's finances.

They were paid a combined total of more than 80,000 per year to take responsibility for ensuring sound management of the council's finances and the whole cabinet was involved during 2006 with the policy that lead to the awarding of the Carillion contract.

This policy has proved to be wrong. The same cabinet just two years later has decided that the contract is not value for money. It will undoubtedly cost the taxpayer dearly to put right the mistake.So who is taking responsibility for this mismanagement?

In your paper last Thursday, the members of the cabinet said it was "baloney and opposition councillors were scaremongering". The public can read this report and see who they think is right.

With proper remuneration goes responsibility for the decisions and no more hiding behind council officers.

However, one cabinet member resigning won't solve the problem. The Conservative administration time and again fails to take responsibility for the council it is supposed to lead.

From poor standards at our schools, poor care for elderly and vulnerable people, the bungled sale of school sites and repeated poor reports from inspections of council services, it has nothing to offer.

Conservatives may occupy plush offices refurbished at a cost of 150,000 when they took power four years ago, but until they get a grip, they shall remain for a few more weeks at least, in office but not in power.

Councillor Richard Church,

Lib Dem, Kingsley Ward, Northamptonshire County Council.

Statistics may be hiding truth

I imagine your article on April 10 about police stop search and arrest figures was based on a small bit of a large report, to support the headlines.

You focus on arrests following searches. You could mention that a positive search does not have to be followed by an arrest.

After the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, to guard against accusations of discrimination, some officers perhaps want to be surer of a find when searching a black person than a white person and consequently there are more positive search results,

It may be that in a "performance culture", officers complete stop search paperwork to show their productivity, when an arrest was going to be made anyway and there was never any need to exercise the power to search.

Many such factors come into play and I would hope but doubt the "EoSIB" (Equality of Service Improvement Board] give due consideration to them before imposing more "equality" training on the front-line staff.

The accurate monitoring of use of police powers against different ethnic groups is necessary but analysis must be more intelligent than your report indicates is the case, and mere comparisons between the ethnic make up of a population (if it were accurately known) and the proportions being subject of a power – or receiving a service – are too simplistic to warrant knee-jerk reactions and shock headlines.

Name and address supplied but

withheld by request.

Where are the quarry reports?

THE residents of Milton Malsor are delighted that the Government inspector has held back the public inquiry into the masterplan for minerals and waste, citing a lack of substantial evidence (Chron, April 10)

I am only too well aware of this lack of evidence relating to the proposed quarry sand between Milton Malsor and Collingtree. I have repeatedly requested copies of environmental assessments carried out on the Milton site through the Freedom of Information Act.

Three assessments were supposed to have been made. The first was lost in the Guildhall Road fire. The second, for the last public inquiry, was not done and the county council was criticised by the inspector at the time.

Copies of the third, the latest, have not yet been provided. I don't believe it exists. If it does where is it?

Will we see heads rolling in the county council's planning department because of this total cock-up?

Will Councillor Ben Smith, whose portfolio includes, laughably, the environment, resign his cabinet post?

Maybe, as we have county council elections soon, with any luck he'll get the boot at the ballot box.

Shaun Hope,

Rectory Lane, Milton Malsor.

Staggering cost of road works

Ron Smith (April 6) accuses me of "ranting" against support for buses. That is not true. No doubt buses perform a useful function.

However, it is plainly stupid to imagine that that function can ever be large compared with the contribution made by cars. After all, nearly nine out of every 10 miles that are travelled are by car.

Furthermore, the dispersed land use enabled by the car is well-nigh impossible to serve by bus. If it were otherwise then that land use would have arisen in the past, but surprise, surprise, it did not.

The crucial issue that has been overlooked is the high cost imposed on motorists by the traffic management measures (particularly the banning of left, right and straight on movements at junctions) that have been foisted upon the community these last 10 years.

It is not unreasonable to suggest that those measures delay most journeys by a couple of minutes.

The cost is truly staggering. In Northampton alone it would amount to 39 million per year. Nation-wide the bill would be in excess of 10 billion, let alone the air pollution.

Paul Withrington,

Director, Transport-Watch, Northampton.

A nice day, but nothing to do

ON Sunday I had a nice day at Abington Park with the children. The museum was sadly closed until 1pm, so I had to kill some time.

I tried to find a toilet but I was told were all closed due to council cutbacks.

I witnessed three people dive behind trees to use as a toilet. This park will smell wonderful in the summer!

The boating lake hut wall is half-collapsed and dangerous.

Is there any risk the council could spend money on reopening the boating lake and the chip and putt golf? It would not be that expensive.

The swings have not been changed for years and if you are over eight, there is not a lot to do really. Maybe skateboarding ramps or BMX facilities could be an idea, after all the building of a marina in Becket's Park must be a lot more expensive.

I'm not against it but I think better, cheaper, easier projects could be started.

The balloon festival, town show, street fair, fireworks, carnival, Christmas decorations are all going or gone and what's left?

Gary Dennis,

Wellingborough Road, Northampton.


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