Catalyst was the partner of Fremantle, the company that took over the running of Barnet care homes and became notorious for slashing the pay and holidays of its workforce. This was a cause célèbre in the labour movement for a couple of years, and provides an ominous presentiment of what we face with the Future Shape programme.
The failure of another contract between the council and a contractor highlights what the council's own reports say: they are in no fit shape at the moment to handle a landscape of mass contracted out services. And I doubt they will ever be in a fit shape to do that. They shouldn't even try.
The Catalyst saga is another scandal for a council continually giving the Conservative party headaches and harming residents and employees in the pocket time and again.
Please join the campaign to stop the Future Shape madness, and to get rid of this lousy administration!
- Lobby of the council, Tuesday 14 September, 6pm, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, NW4 4BG
- Public meeting, Thursday 23 September, 7-9pm, Emerald Suite, North London Business Park, N11 1GN
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4 comments:
There is a facinating series of emails on "Barnet Bugle" that shows just how disconnected life on Planet Hillan is from the real world.
Lynne says:
"Even I would be outraged if I was going to get an increase of £20,000 instead of the £5000 decrease that I will actually get.
"Hopefully you will never find yourself in the middle of an untrue story where the truth does not sell papers but, if you ever do, you will feel the discomfort we all feel."
Lynne would not have received a £5000 decrease.
Her increase would have been £64,824 - £50,007.40 = £14,816.60.
Who exactly are the people whom get paid vast sums to do all the background work on policy advising and recommending to Council, they should consider accepting a particular policy? Maybe it is the quality of Barnet Council employee advising any ruling Administration (in Barnet it's scatty Tory) that is costing Barnet these vast sums.
So some of the blame of the Catalyst saga as was with the ALMO and other issdues has to be shouldered by the Executive Directors and Managers whom we employ, that have such disastraous consequences for frontline employees and taxpayer alike. After all Future Shape was advised by Council Employee albeit at the very top some whom have been there over three administrations.
I take your point, Anonymous, but it would be strange indeed if all the completely useless top execs always picked Barnet to come and work at. I'm hinting at the fact that it is the political people who hire the top execs.
I would love to do some research into the close ties between top local government execs and the political elites (ahem) who hire them. But my time does not permit, I'm afraid.
10 years ago one Reynolds came over from Camden under a Labour Admin. At the heart of some of the future policy regeneration stock-tranfer of homes etc and of course a Barnet Homes. Not long after a Boland and his sidekick Wakeley arrives (from a Tory Council I think. What happened next, the Tory administration dream come true, a group of Tory executives whom thought likewise. No need to research but infer. Wakeley "I'll be the next Chief Executive" better look over his shoulder at the 'toffee gob' accented oik behind him. Future Shape! I'd be naive to think that Government employees had conviction to vote for Lost in Space Party on the way up. see Bolnad
No offence intended.
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