Updated below, 15th October:
Week Five of Capitaville, and yes, things are going just wonderfully so far. Oh: well, except for staff losing their jobs with the council, and all our services being handed over to the control of a profiteering third party, and a spot of bother with one of Barnet's contractor's waking up to find that they are being dumped because Capita has a deal to bring in their own preferred company, thus leading to, tssk, the first legal challenge.
Oh, and some questions about why Capita has been handed payments of £30 million in fees in the first two months. Nothing to worry about. An accounting 'error'.
Still: forget all that - put aside all negative thoughts. We have work to do. We are busy re-barneting Barnet, remember - and we have a new name for the Joint Venture.
The Joint Venture: the DRS contract ... you know, that thing no one wanted because it was even more high risk than a strategic partnership, and then while the Leader was languishing in his summer palace, the senior officers cooked up a scheme with consultants, to switch to, even though they had no right to take such a decision, and the Leader said he knew nothing about it, three times, and then all of a sudden he was persuaded it was a wonderful thing after all, and now we are stuck with it. And all of the higher risk?
No, they ignored Mrs Angry's suggestions for the title, laced as they were with insinuations of impending doom and financial disaster. See as we are re-barneting Barnet, we are going to call it - can you guess? ReNew. Yes: ReDiculous. But still: look - cupcakes! More cupcakes! Easycouncil orange decorated cupcakes. Don't forget to save one for Mike Freer.
See - this is the way to win the hearts and minds of staff, and build morale, and team spirit. The ones who aren't getting the sack, of course.
Because unfortunately, Mrs Angry has just heard that statutory consultation with DRS staff and unions is beginning today regarding the moving of 'roles' - (meaning people's jobs, livelihoods) to other locations - which will of course result in redundancies for those who are unable to up sticks and move to Lancashire or Belfast, or other far flung parts of the UK.
Never mind, comrade workers of Capitaville: have another cake and do cheer up.
You're not being sacked, just made Re-Dundant, courtesy of Crapita, your Tory councillors, and the senior management team of Broken Barnet.
When the first Capita contract, the larger package for NSCSO services, was being negotiated, we were not allowed to know what it said. Even our elected members, who in theory were paid a generous allowance by us to scrutinise such vital information before approving the surrender of our council services to private enterprise, admit now that they were not really allowed to know what it said: or rather that they were given strictly limited access, and were too lazy and cowardly to kick up a fuss about this when it still mattered.
And now that it is too late to make any difference, and in honour of the new culture of 'transparency' being encouraged by the new deputy CEO and Section 151 officer, Mr Chris Naylor, who has come from the world outside Broken Barnet, where the notion of 'transparency' is all the rage, well, the Capita contract is now published, or at least most of it, online, for all to read. They clearly think there is nothing there now which is of any importance, or interest. How wrong they are.
Look at these extracts from the tender schedules, the 'Continuous Improvement Plan' ...
http://www.barnet.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/3124/barnet_nscso_model_contract_schedules_capita_v18_psec_2326980_18_redacted_170913pdf
This dishload of corporate claptrap tells us breathlessly about the new world that we are creating, now that we live in Capitaville, a place where the provision of council services has become not a function of local government, controlled by local democracy, but the natural business of an ecosystem - no, the 'Ecosystem', an 'holistic service supply approach'. Sounds lovely, doesn't it, a sort of Eden Project of outsourcing, a nurturing and protective environment ... No. Wake up.
The Ecosystem purports to integrate the delivery of services, with, yes, you guessed, greater involvement by residents, voluntary bodies, and a weaning away from unwholesome dependence on the local authority, or as they put it:
2.12.2 reducing the demand on Authority services through better sign-posting of Service Users away from the Authority to alternative providers (Commitments T1-6 and T3-7);
Mrs Angry can just imagine what that sign-post looks like, can't you, citizens? Inviting service users to f*ck off out of it and stop interfering with their profit margins: but there is more -
2.12.4 recognition of the role that citizens, families and carers take in supplying services and the inclusion of them in service supply options within the Ecosystem;
2.12.5 better understanding of the requirements of being an Authority supplier and providing assistance to third party suppliers in meeting these requirements (Commitments T3-8, T3-10 and T3-12);
2.12.6 enhanced knowledge of opportunities to provide services previously provided by the Authority and sign-posts to services provided by the Authority (Commitments T3-10 and T3-12);
This will mean that in Capitaville, your local services and support for your needs will be provided to you by you, wherever possible, or possibly some charity, which may or may not wish to convert you in the process, like Christians Against Poverty/CAP, or, grudgingly, by Crapita, on behalf of the council, but in a way which minimises the authority's obligations, and maximises the profit for Crapita.
This approach will no doubt be warmly welcomed by Barnet Tory councillors like housing spokesman Cllr Tom Davey, who recently approved the dropping of affordable housing in a local development, saying:
"I would prefer the homes to be sold on the private market because you generally get people in who would be paying a higher price and rely less on public services.
My ideal Barnet household is one which pays council tax and does not rely on council services. The more we have of those, the more we can bring council tax down."
In other words, in Barnet our Tory councillors want no poor people, no elderly people, no children, no residents with disabilities, and no Labour voters. Social cleansing, or gerrymandering?
Back to the contract.
They say the devil is in the detail, don't they? In any Faustian pact, the one necessary obligation in regard to the sale of souls is a price demanded by the old boy , on his terms, a non negotiable deal - and never can such an arrangement have been described so carefully, and at such length, as in the 8,000 pages of the NSCSO contract.
One obligation which our Tory councillors probably failed to notice is something referred to as the 'cooperation agreement'. This seems to be a massively significant undertaking between the two parties not only to support the One Barnet privatisation of services, but more importantly from the point of view of the provider to help promote the arrangement for the benefit of Capita. This 'cooperation' is not something they really wanted us to know about, as we see from this clause towards the end of the document: my emphasis -
11 Publicity
11.1 The Delivery Partner will not make public the existence of this cooperation agreement and will not issue any press releases or sales documentation about or otherwise seek publicity in respect of the cooperation arrangement without Capita’s prior written approval.
Now read these extracts, in which Capita boasts not only of its intimate links with central government - intended to impress the authority and imply that it can lobby on behalf of local interests, flagging up potential future problems with 'an early warning system' and 'horizon scanning', but which appears to suggest it even helps to formulate government policy. Perhaps you will be reassured by the references to 'ethical protocols'. Or not. My emphasis again.
2.19
The Service Provider has developed a deep network of relationships with
key central government departments and representatives through
its existing contracts and dedicated central government business
development team, allowing the Service Provider to be informed of issues
affecting central and local government , and the Service Provider
combines this knowledge with its established network
of local government contracts and relationships. The Service Provider
shall use this to provide the Authority with valuable insight,
innovation and information that reflects the environment the Authority
operates within (Commitment T2-60).
2.20
The Service provider shall maximise, and make available to the
Authority, opportunities from central government (Commitment T1-17)
through
(inter alia) the following:
2.20.1 Policy and legislation horizon scanning (Commitment T1-60, T1-61 and T1-62):
(a)
The Service Provider is engaged with policy officials, special advisers
and ministers in a number of key departments and holds regular
discussions with them. In addition the Service Provider has
relationships with a number of key influencers, such as think tanks
(e.g. Reform, Policy Exchange and Localis) and consultancies and shall
keep abreast of legislative changes and initiatives.
(b)
The Service Provider shall utilise its relationships, contacts and
information gathering skills alongside its ability to capture and
analyse information for the benefit of the Authority through its Insight
Capability to provide an early warning system for the Authority
allowing the Partnership to proactively plan for changes and work
collaboratively to mitigate their impact.
(c)
The Service Provider shall use its extensive understanding of how
policy is formulated in Westminster and Whitehall, and how it may impact
upon councils and communities, gained from existing relationships and
contracts with central government to advise the Authority as required.
(d)
The Service Provider shall use its insight into departmental
requirements and into potential routes of funding, subject to relevant
ethical
protocols, for the benefit of the Authority as part of the Service
Provider's approach to project development described within Schedule 15
(Special Projects).
2.20.2 Attendance at government meetings and events (Commitments T1-63 and T1- 64)
(a)
The Service Provider holds meetings and events with government
representatives on a daily basis; as part of the management of its
existing
business; as part of its business development activity; and to
contribute ideas to help government with its key challenges.
(b)
The Service Provider is regularly invited to government events as a
senior representative of the industry as part of the government's
consultation with the industry. The Service Provider shall, where
appropriate, provide the opportunity for Authority staff to attend
meetings with key industry stakeholders on issues affecting the
Authority.
(c)
The Service Provider shall use its conference business, "Capita
Conferences," to provide the Authority with the opportunity to enhance
its profile within the industry and to gain access to an effective forum
for sharing and development.
The Service Provider shall work with Capita Conferences to create opportunities for Authority staff to communicate the success of the One Barnet programme and participate in future conferences and for the Authority to shape the agenda and content of relevant future conferences.
The Service Provider shall work with Capita Conferences to create opportunities for Authority staff to communicate the success of the One Barnet programme and participate in future conferences and for the Authority to shape the agenda and content of relevant future conferences.
2.20.3 Utilising networks and contacts to assist the Authority (Commitments T1-65, T1- 66 and T1-67)
(a)
The Service Provider shall use its established network of formal and
informal links to government to create direct and indirect means
of engaging with policy makers.
(b)
The Service Provider has frequent meetings across central government at
official level and occasional meetings at ministerial level.
In addition, the Service Provider is a member of a number of
organisations that give access to government including the Confederation
of British Industry, where the Service Provider sits on the Public
Services Strategy Board, the Whitehall & Industry Group,
Reform, Policy Exchange and Localis. The Service Provider shall use its
relationships to create opportunities for the successes of the
Partnership to be promoted enhancing the profile of the Authority at
strategic level across the public sector.
(c)
The Service Provider shall provide direct access to the Authority to
the network of senior contacts held within its executive recruitment
agency, "Veredus," so that it can be utilised to the Authority’s benefit
in appropriate instances and within ethical protocols.
(d)
The Service Provider shall use its relationships to create advocates of
the success of the One Barnet programme by informing the Department
of Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association
of key milestones and achievements within the programme thereby
supporting increased political awareness of the Authority and the
Service Provider shall utilise its corporate and personal
networks to support the communication of the success of the Partnership
via appropriate case studies.
(e)
The Service Provider shall employ its communication team to develop a
communications and marketing plan to share the successes of the
Partnership. This will include influencing activity and direct promotion
of the successes and activity of the Partnership through media
activity.
The Service Provider shall seek opportunities at key conferences such as those run by the Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and support the Authority in attending these conferences as speakers to promote the Authority as an exemplar council and innovator in service provision.
Enough of that: here's an even more interesting view of the brave new world of healthcare privatisation:
The Service Provider shall seek opportunities at key conferences such as those run by the Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and support the Authority in attending these conferences as speakers to promote the Authority as an exemplar council and innovator in service provision.
Enough of that: here's an even more interesting view of the brave new world of healthcare privatisation:
(f)
The Service Provider shall use its relationships in the healthcare
industry to support the Authority by utilising its contacts via NHS
Choices and the Service Provider's health division, "Capita Health and
Wellbeing," though which the Service Provider has contact with ministers
and senior officials.
Playing the part of Cassandra once more, Mrs Angry wonders what will happen to the 'cooperation agreement' if, rather than the riproaring success we are told it will be, the One Barnet programme goes disastrously wrong, with all those 8,000 pages of corporate bilge thrown in the new true blue recycling bins of Broken Barnet?
Will Mr Andrew 'Black Hole' Travers still be invited to musical soirées with Eric Pickles, and cocktails and canapés at Capita HQ? Will, in the interests of transparency, deputy CEO Mr Chris Naylor, arm in arm with the Comms Team's Tooting Twister, attend the Capita conference season to explain why everything has gone tits up?
Or will, as is more likely, Barnet turn out to be the step too far, and the lovingly chronicled story of what happened here serve as an awful warning to other authorities, and other public sector bodies, as to what happens when you meet the forces of scrutiny and resistence from the people excluded from the process of agreement to such deals, the taxpayers and voters who have become no more than a useful commodity in the market games of profiteering private companies and their friends in the public sector?
Updated 15/10/2013:
Been meaning to update this post with a link to the following interesting article from the website 'Spendmatters.co.uk',
in which further attention is drawn to the unusual 'cooperation' agreement hidden away in the Capita contract. The article's writer, Peter Smith, also comments in regard to the clause which states that Capita will use the 'success' of the partnership with the authority in PR promotion, that this is particularly unusual, and journalist Tony Collins is quoted as saying here, on the Campaign for Change website here :
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
This is not open government. This is a contractual expectation that the supplier’s representatives should smile, and smile broadly, whenever the subject of an outsourcing deal with Barnet is discussed, or there is an opportunity to discuss it. Which rather undermines the credibility of the Public Services Strategy Board, the Whitehall & Industry Group, Reform, Policy Exchange and Localis if supplier’s representatives are there to pass on PR messages about their outsourcing deals, whatever the truth.
Tony Collins ends his piece with an apposite quotation from the social theorist Jean Baudrillard. It serves as a useful introduction to the management of spin, Capita style:
Smile and others will smile back. Smile to show how transparent, how candid you are. Smile if you have nothing to say. Most of all, do not hide the fact you have nothing to say nor your total indifference to others. Let this emptiness, this profound indifference, shine out spontaneously in your smile.
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
Stick that on a Re-Dundancy cupcake, why don't you?
The
Service Provider shall use its relationships to create opportunities
for the successes of the Partnership to be promoted enhancing the
profile of the Authority at strategic level across the public sector”. -
See more at:
http://spendmatters.co.uk/barnet-and-capita-some-unusual-contractual-conditions/#sthash.zvfowD3J.dpuf
No comments:
Post a Comment