Mebyon Kernow today opposed Cornwall Council entering into a
multi-million pound joint venture
project with a large private company, which would allow the private sector to
deliver a massive range of council services including benefits, council tax,
payroll, IT support, libraries and one-stop-shops.
The constitution
of the unitary authority states that the decision whether to proceed with
the scheme lies with the ten-strong Cabinet, which voted to seek final tenders on
30th July.
But the whole of the Council today debated a motion that
stated: “it is not in the best interests of the people of Cornwall
for the Council to enter into the proposed Strategic Partnership for Support
Services,” in order to inform Cabinet members of the views of the wider
membership of the authority.
The motion was proposed by Independent Councillor Andrew
Wallis and seconded by MK Councillor Andrew Long (Callington). The Council
voted by 46 votes to 29 votes to support the moton. There were a total of 14
abstentions.
Speaking on behalf of Mebyon Kernow in the debate, Cllr Long
told councillors much of the evidence used to support the joint venture was “pure
conjecture.” He rubbished the claims about savings and the creation of jobs,
describing the promises as “pie in the sky,” adding we are more likely to see “bacon-clad
flying mammals.”
He also slammed the lack of democratic accountability in the
proposed arrangement and condemned the proposal as “full of risks” and urged
the Cabinet to “reverse its decision.”
Also speaking at the meeting, fellow MK Councillor Loveday
Jenkin (Wendron) blasted the transfer of staff and huge budgets into a private
sector company, which she said would “inevitably result in worse terms and
conditions for local workers.” She also described the project as “not in the
best interests of Cornwall .”
All five Mebyon Kernow councillors (Dick Cole, Stuart
Cullimore, Andrew Long, Loveday Jenkin and Neil Plummer) backed the proposal
not to enter into the proposed Strategic Partnership for Support Services.
2 comments:
This whole shift to a cabinet to replace the old committee system has seriously damaged local democracy in my view. Sure, the old system wasn't perfect but it seems to me that with this and the senior officers acting as a stasi for central government, the general run of Councillors are now so sidelined one cannot help but wonder why they bother. Having said that, I'm so pleased that people like you do bother, Dick, or we might as well scrap local government altogether and just have central government appointees running the show.
I wholly agree with Bob. This Cabinet system is raising two fingers to due democratc process. The old committee system,with decisions to be ratified by Full Council, work s far better, even if it is not perfect.
I think we need to know the names of this 10-person Cabinet, and which of them voted for the move towards privatisation (with yet more of Cornwall's economy being diverted up-country). It is our right as the electorate to know who is betraying us.
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