A detailed analysis prepared for Somerset County UNISON concluded:
In the preparation for a Strategic Service-delivery Partnership the County Council has:
- Failed to establish the business need for the project.
- Failed to fully examine all the options – management seem intent on achieving a Strategic Service-delivery Partnership irrespective of whether this is the best option or not.
- Based their approach on an over-optimistic view of the benefits of a Strategic Service-delivery Partnership.
- Failed to fully assess the employment and economic consequences of the project for the local and sub-regional economy.
The Outline Business Case is fundamentally flawed for the following reasons:
- It does not fully assess current performance to identify strengths and weaknesses to ensure a Strategic Service-delivery Partnership is properly designed and targeted.
- It does not establish a business need for a Strategic Service-delivery Partnership.
- The financial case is not proven.
- The evaluation of options is not transparent and is biased against the insourcing and public-public collaboration options.
- It displays a lack of understanding of the economics of Strategic Service-delivery Partnerships.
- The high level of risk is not identified.
- There has been inadequate research into Strategic Service-delivery Partnerships and those local authorities which successfully adopted an insourcing option