Peter Kent-Baguley

City Council plans wholesale privatisation

The Director of Central Services' report to next Wednesday's Executive and Members' Board (Council Manager/CEO, Elected Mayor and his Cabinet of 10 Portfolio Holders) gives due warning when she writes at 6.2: "The scale of what is being proposed must not be underestimated." The Director goes on to claim: "This proposal is one significant step in (sic) the journey to excellence."  Also, apparently, proposing the "...outsourcing of support services" demonstrates that "...we are capable of both thinking 'outside the box' and acting upon and implementing it." Another reason used to support the outsourcing or in plain language, privatisation of public services, is that "...major investment from the City Council is not considered practical to implement in a manner that would deliver a major transformational element..."  Unsurprisingly, the superficial report fails to indicate projected costs; nor does it indicate how a "major transformational element" would be recognised.

It will be interesting to see just how the ten Portflio Holders support this latest aspect of the Labour Elected Mayor's programme to dismantle public services in Stoke-on-Trent. I said some time ago to the Council Manager that I did not doubt he would reach his goal of excellence but that it was my view that at that point there would be few if any Council assets or Council services left for a democratic body to manage and develop.

This is not only wholesale privatision of services it is the privitisation of democracy where citizen involvement is eliminated and reduced to consumer contact with call centres.