Torbay LG Branch - Reshaping Portal

The following is a press release issued at 0001hrs Friday 13th June 2008:

RESHAPED OR PEARSHAPED?

UNISON Rejects Plans for the Wholesale Privatisation of Local Services in Torbay

UNISON is today publishing an independent report* which is highly critical of Torbay Council’s plans that are likely to lead to the damaging privatisation of many of the services it currently provides. The report, produced for UNISON by APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) says the Council’s so-called “Reshaping” strategy, drawn up with the help of highly-paid management consultants Grant Thornton:

UNISON wants a full public consultation, beginning with a major stakeholder conference which it is organising on Friday 18th July at the Grand Hotel in Torquay, involving leading representatives from the business community, voluntary and community organisations, and service users.

Liz French, UNISON Regional Organiser, said:

"Currently, many high quality services are directly provided by Council staff. The Mayor and democratically elected Councillors can listen to the community and voters, and have a say in what services need providing and how to provide them. If something goes wrong with a directly provided service, Councillors can and do get involved to sort it out."

"In future, the Council’s management consultants are recommending that all this should change and that these responsibilities should in effect be taken over by two unelected officers, so-called ‘commissioners’ charged with ‘buying in’ the services from ‘the market’."

"UNISON believes there are major problems with this idea – for the workforce, services and democratic accountability. Local services should be provided locally, and under local control. If services are bought in from another part of the country, Torbay could face major job losses and economic harm. With contracts let for periods of up to 25 years for services worth multi-millions of pounds, these changes could be irreversible. The people of Torbay, as local taxpayers, will have to pick up the bills for any failure in this untested, ideologically-driven experiment."

"Torbay is not a failing Council. It is not facing financial ruin. It does not need radical surgery. The Council should seriously consider the realistic and viable alternative of keeping services local and in‑house."

UNISON is now calling on the Council to work with local government support agencies like APSE, along with its managers, service users, workforce and trade unions, to devise a fully-costed plan for how in-house, directly provided and democratically accountable services can be improved to deliver for the people of Torbay.

ENDS

Notes to editor

* Full APSE report available on website http://reshaping.unisontorbay.org.uk

UNISON is the UK’s largest public sector union with 1.3 million members working the public services. It is the union for all NHS staff, local government staff, police support, education staff, and those working for the utilities and transport. It negotiates their pay and conditions and champions the public services that its members deliver. www.unison.org.uk

APSE, the Association for Public Service Excellence, is a not for profit local government body working with over 300 Councils throughout the UK. Promoting excellence in public services, APSE is the foremost specialist in local authority front line services, hosting a network for front line service providers in areas such as waste and refuse collection, parks and environmental services, leisure, school meals, cleaning, housing and building maintenance. www.apse.org.uk

For further information contact

Ken Terry, Regional Manager, UNISON South West on

or