Calls for the development of an in-house option and a Service Improvement Plan and examines the implications of the three options considered by the Council, namely a schools-led company/social enterprise, a joint venture company between the Council and a private contractor, or a JVC between the Council, schools and a private contractor.

London Borough of Barnet Council recently decided to retain the Adult Social Care service in-house. That policy reversal did not last long. The Street Scene options appraisal (waste collection, recycling, street cleaning, grounds maintenance and fleet management) includes a designed to fail ‘in-house (pre December 2015)’ option. It is now examining options involving Local Authority…

Barnet Council Environment Committee examined various options for  the future of Street Scene in September 2016. Barnet UNISON was highly critical of the options appraisal and recommended the full in-house provision and rejection of continued management by Barnet Group and outsourcing. The Committee recommended a further report on the in-house option. Subsequently, a report to…

Analysis of Barnet Council’s proposals for the Library Service – 46% job loss and 70% cut in hours. 72% of library opening hours will be unstaffed technology-enabled opening with 10% being volunteer-supported. Highlights widespread community opposition, flawed economics and the false claims made to justify the transfer or outsourcing of the Library Service.

The options ‘appraisal’ recommends a Joint Venture Company (Capita is the Council’s main contractor and withdrew from managing the procurement so that it could bid). But the appraisal is based almost entirely on assumptions, estimates, possibilities and other vagaries. This report shows how the in-house bid was constructively dismissed by ignoring key risks, simplistic evaluation…

Barnet Council plan to cut Library workforce by nearly 50%, reduce staffed hours by 70%, four libraries will be run by volunteers, yet will spend £7.6m searching for a contractor. This report for Barnet UNISON examines the proposals at the start of a second public consultation.

The London Borough of Barnet has produced three options for the future of the library service – none include in-house provision. Deep cuts, heavy reliance on volunteering and an ‘open library’ project bring new risks and consequences for the service, users and staff.

Shows how Adult Social Care Services Options Appraisal is seriously flawed. A series of charts on quality, cost, governance, finance and acceptability to stakeholders illustrate how the in-house option and the interests of services users and staff are marginalised by the intent to create a commercialised trading company. It is not a genuine appraisal of…

The London Borough of Barnet has commenced a new wave of outsourcing commencing with education and skills services to schools. This analysis of the Councils options appraisal for Barnet UNISON exposes how commercial values and market ideology have been used to reject an in-house option. It is highly probable that the sector will perceive that…

The Adult Services option appraisal is limited in scope and depth of analysis and does not provide an acceptable evidence base on which to make fundamental decisions about the future provision of the services. The critique concluded that the options appraisal process is operating to a predetermined agenda, it is not comprehensive, nor in sufficient…