| Topic: | Cabinet meeting 22 February. The meek will follow the weak | |
| Posted by: | George Knox | |
| Date/Time: | 21/02/11 11:16:00 |
| A new White Paper will set out an automatic right for private sector bodies to bid for public work. Outside providers would be offered payment-by-results contracts, which would earn them more as they increased the quality of services. There will be a new presumption – backed up by new rights for public service users and a new system of independent adjudication – that public services should be open to a range of providers competing to offer a better service. However, they are likely to be fiercely opposed by Labour and the trade unions who will interpret them as a return to the era of privatisation and a cover for Coalition spending cuts. If our local Council does not pay attention to this, then Ealing being Labour you can bet your bottom dollar that they will be punished even more by the non Labour parties as regards future government grants. So our Councilors in Cabinet can vote tomorrow for the status quo at theiir peril. Seems pretty clear that they would be more likely to keep control by demanding a new approach to reducing costs - including sharing with other Councils and other Authorities. Otherwise in the face of an independent adjudication body they can risk losing control gradually in the future - altogether. And then we really will experience the worst of privatisation. |