Councillors of all parties – myself included – have been warning about the very significant financial challenges that face Dundee City Council.
At last night’s Policy and Resources Committee, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive about proposals for a voluntary redundancy and voluntary retirement scheme – principally about the possible detrimental effect on service provision for elderly and vulnerable citizens – a point also highlighted by deputations from UNISON and Dundee Pensioners’ Forum.
So, with all the financial difficulties ahead, you’d think that councillors of all parties would be seeking to ensure that the council always achieves best value for money for its citizens. Not a bit of it!
Also last night was an item on the Education Committee proposing that the council doesn’t bother to put out its education removals contract out to tender but simply extends the existing contract to the current provider. The rationale is apparently that (to quote the officers of the council) “it has been difficult to obtain competitive tenders for this type of work due to existing local firms ceasing business or amalgamating” and that the current contract is “considered to represent good value for money to the council.”
I don’t doubt their word that the existing supplier has done a good job, but to fail to put the tender out to the open market is totally ridiculous in the current financial climate. How do we know the council is getting best value for money if we don’t bother to find out through a tendering process? How do we know there aren’t many companies wanting to tender for the work if we don’t bother to tender at all?
I moved that the contract go out to tender and was seconded by my LibDem colleague Cllr Helen Dick. All credit to the Tories who supported us, but we were voted down by Labour and SNP. One Labour councillor actually got on his feet to say he’d like to see a fair chance being given to other small businesses in the future (to quote today’s 'Courier') and then promptly voted with his Labour colleagues to stop other small businesses from getting a chance to tender for the work. Words fail me.
At last night’s Policy and Resources Committee, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive about proposals for a voluntary redundancy and voluntary retirement scheme – principally about the possible detrimental effect on service provision for elderly and vulnerable citizens – a point also highlighted by deputations from UNISON and Dundee Pensioners’ Forum.
So, with all the financial difficulties ahead, you’d think that councillors of all parties would be seeking to ensure that the council always achieves best value for money for its citizens. Not a bit of it!
Also last night was an item on the Education Committee proposing that the council doesn’t bother to put out its education removals contract out to tender but simply extends the existing contract to the current provider. The rationale is apparently that (to quote the officers of the council) “it has been difficult to obtain competitive tenders for this type of work due to existing local firms ceasing business or amalgamating” and that the current contract is “considered to represent good value for money to the council.”
I don’t doubt their word that the existing supplier has done a good job, but to fail to put the tender out to the open market is totally ridiculous in the current financial climate. How do we know the council is getting best value for money if we don’t bother to find out through a tendering process? How do we know there aren’t many companies wanting to tender for the work if we don’t bother to tender at all?
I moved that the contract go out to tender and was seconded by my LibDem colleague Cllr Helen Dick. All credit to the Tories who supported us, but we were voted down by Labour and SNP. One Labour councillor actually got on his feet to say he’d like to see a fair chance being given to other small businesses in the future (to quote today’s 'Courier') and then promptly voted with his Labour colleagues to stop other small businesses from getting a chance to tender for the work. Words fail me.