More privatisation proposals coming up for decision at that Special Council Meeting this Thursday ... main agenda can now be found here; and individual reports via here.
Two further elements are being reported: Corporate and Transactional Services (CATS) are being recommended for retention in-house --- we'll support that; and Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) services are being recommended for outsourcing ...
... following our Group Meeting this evening, I can now re-produce our draft Amendment (see below) opposing that outsourcing.
The Labour Group have opposed this whole Alternative Business Model (ABM) work stream since its inception in the February 2009 Administration Budget.
All the evidence, which we have carefully considered - and our Statutory Duty to deliver best value and balance quality with cost - indicates to us that this procurement process should be terminated right now and that these public services should be retained in-house.
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City of Edinburgh
Labour Amendment
Full Council Meeting
19th January 2012
Item 4.1(a) Alternative Business Models Review Programme
– Integrated Facilities Management
1. Council notes that the Alternative Business Models Review Programme would be concluded by a decision of Council and that this was commonly known by, and made clear to, all Parties involved in the process.
2. Council, having taken into account inter-alia the following …
i. The statutory duty to deliver Best Value, namely the duty to ensure the continuous improvement of services. Specifically Council notes the duty to strike an appropriate balance between quality and cost while having due regard for efficiency, effectiveness, economy, equality, human rights and sustainability including social and economic sustainability as well as environmental protection.
ii. The statutory duty to have due regard for Scottish Government guidance and protocols including Best Value Guidance, Section 52 Guidance, the National Standards on Community Engagement and the “Public Private Partnerships in Scotland – protocol and guidance concerning employment issues”.
iii. The now acknowledged workforce reduction under this element of the ABM programme with public sector jobs being lost to the City of Edinburgh
iv. The risk to local services, and local accountability, being too great and the estimated level of savings being unlikely to outweigh the dis-benefits of this element of the ABM programme.
v. The information that was made available in the “data room” coupled with detailed analysis of some of the said information.
… all leads Council to agree that the procurement process is terminated without award of a contract.
3. Council further notes that an internal improvement plan has been developed which has the potential to deliver significant improvements and savings to in-house service delivery and:
i. resolves to apply the terms of the Integrated Facilities Management internal improvement plan and instructs the Chief Executive Officer to take appropriate steps to secure its implementation.
ii. agrees that regular reports on the progress of the internal improvement plan shall be made to the Finance & Resources Committee and/or Council and that Committee should bring any matters of concern regarding its progress to the attention of the Council in order that it can determine any course of action it deems necessary.
4. Council therefore rejects recommendations 9.1(i) to 9.1(iii) and agrees to proceed as stated above.
Proposed __________________________________
Seconded ___________________________________
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