Great news from Cornwall, where the Tory Council Leader trying to drive forward a deeply unpopular mass outsourcing to a "joint venture company" has been deposed. (http://m.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/oct/16/tory-privatisation-plans-blow-cornwall?cat=society&type=article)
I like what Independent Councillor, Bob Egerton, who proposed the motion of "no confidence" had to say about his own lack of any "Plan B";
"If you are heading towards a cliff edge it is not your job to reprogramme the GPS with a new route, but to stop the car."
This is the perfect riposte to those with an addiction to "innovation" who think that privatisation (in whatever form) offers a way to make savings without making cuts.
London local government workers should note that Cornwall have Oracle Release 12 and were clearly building their "joint venture" plans in part on this foundation.
If anyone suggests a joint venture to you then (unless it's between consenting adults) suggest they research what happened to "TeamLambeth" the Joint Venture Company created in 1997 in what was (at the time) the largest single privatisation in the history of English local government...
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The Council Leader and Cabinet were arrogantly pushing ahead with the privatisation plans even after these had been vetoed in a 46 to 29 vote of the Full Council with its Tory majority. The ousting of the Leader is as much a victory for democracy as a defeat for privatisation. I hope the message won't be lost on other council leaders who might be tempted to push ahead with privatisation against the wishes of the people's directly elected representatives.
ReplyDeleteIt was plastered all over the front page of the Cornwall regional paper when I was there. Even better the Tories seem to be in meltdown over it :)
ReplyDeleteNow for Mr Walkley when I get back to work later this week time to lay some ground rules