alternative service delivery

More and more, the Council is working with "partners" to deliver our services. Some of those partners are for example: Cormac Solutions (limited company, 100% owned by Cornwall Council)...

After attending one of my Audit Committee meetings, a risk was raised with regards to the fact that the Council need to have tight control over how the companies are run in order to meet our standards and regulations. This raises an issue, in that if you tighten controls over arms length companies too much, you might end up making the company "a department of the council". 

What do I mean by this, well I will tell you. if the council, for example is too rigid on its regulations on tendering, the companies will only be able to purchase services from other companies "approved" by the council. That means that the council might risk not getting value for money from a tender because the council is unable to get proper competitive bids. That is why sometimes, we see some very expensive contract being awarded, because not all companies out there can apply, only the ones that has previously been "approved" by the council. 

With the Conservatives who run the council taking it more and more down the this route we are getting more and more into a sticky situation.

Don't get me wrong, I do approve of regulations, but we need to be careful we are not too rigid or too controlling with our partners. We must get the balance just right, otherwise we might as well do it all "in house".

If Thatcher showed use nothing its that privatisation done badly (without competition) is a terrible. You only have to look at water and the trains to see this, but it seems the Conservatives in Cornwall have not learnt there lesson!