Assessment of business cases
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Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) Business Case for Adult and Housing Services
The London Borough of Barnet plans to establish a LATC that requires Adult Services to generate up to 90% of the £0.7m annual profit. Yet the financial viability of Barnet Group Ltd (Yours Choice Barnet and Barnet Homes) is highly questionable. This report details the flawed appraisal process, the reasons for financial instability, governance and the potential impact on service users and staff.
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Analysis of Business Case for £600m-£750m New Support & Customer Services Project: London Borough of Barnet
The Business Case fails to fulfil several basic requirements with regard to strategic, economic, commercial, financial and management functions. The Council is attempting to privatise risks by omitting them from the Business Case. Important financial, operational, democratic governance and employment risks are excluded. Job losses could range between 189.5 and 253.3 jobs due to the combined effect of outsourcing other Council services and CSO – NSO efficiency savings. The savings figures are grossly over-estimated because they do not take account of the cost of redundancies or accommodation costs.
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Barnet Catering Services: 'Jewel in the Crown'
Privatisation of Education & Skills and Catering in Barnet
In November 2015 Barnet Council awarded the Education & Skills and Catering contract to a sole bidder, Cambridge Education (Mott McDonald) who had subcontracted catering to ISS. This report examines the consequences of the decision and urges the Council to retain the successful catering service in-house since it had no role in selecting ISS.
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Outsourcing, Cuts, Job Losses & New Operating Model: Adult Social Care in Barnet
Analysis of planned new operating model for Adult Social Care in London Borough of Barnet in parallel with £18.5m cuts over 4 years. Model relies heavily on volunteers and asserts that community and voluntary organisations will be ‘equal partners’. Barnet UNISON makes a series of proposals to radically change the Council’s and its consultants approach and planned outsourcing.
Second Report - An improved and innovative in-house service: Adult Social Care in Barnet
A response to an update of Barnet Council's for Adult Social Care since November 2015. The Council has shortlisted three options for Adult Social Care – a reformed in-house service, a service shared with the NHS and a public service mutual. The options of outsourcing or transfer of the services to The Barnet Group, the Council’s Local Authority Trading Company, have been rejected.
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Analysis of Business Case for Local Authority Trading Company
The London Borough of Barnet plans to transfer Adult Services to a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) together with Barnet Homes, the Arms Length Management Organisation managing the council housing stock. About 160 Adult Services staff will transfer to the LATC. The LATC model is intended to commercialise Barnet’s provision of learning disability and physical and sensory impairment services for adults. The business case refers to ‘profits’ and the Council using its power as shareholder to demand annual ‘dividends’. Rather than subsidising important social and housing services, these services will in future subsidise other Council services! (May 2011).
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Analysis of Development and Regulatory Services Business Case, London Borough of Barnet
Assesses whether the DRS Business Case has fulfilled the necessary requirements to provide an economic, viable and sustainable case. It is evident that critical issues are omitted from the business case, plus key policies and risks that are only addressed superficially. In conclusion, the business case is not fit for purpose and non-compliant for Council decision making purposes. The Business Case follows a flawed options appraisal (see earlier report) covering Regeneration, Strategic Planning and Housing Strategy, Highways Transport and Strategy, Building Control, Planning Development Management, Land Charges, Highways Network Management, Highways Traffic and Development, Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing, Cemetery and Crematorium and the Registration and Nationality Service.
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Barnet: Assessment of CSO/NSO Business Case Update
An Assessment of CSO/NSO Business Case Update for the customer and support services outsourcing highlights the London Borough of Barnet’s approach – ignore real risks, miscalculate client costs, exaggerate savings, claim non-financial benefits that cannot be substantiated, inadequate equalities assessments and ignore the PPP strategic partnership track record. The Council’s failure to require services to be located in Barnet could lead to mass redundancies immediately after transfer.
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Transfer of Housing Service to Barnet Homes
A detailed analysis of the proposed transfer of the London Borough of Barnet’s Housing Service to Barnet Homes, the ALMO established in 2004. The Council truncated the options appraisal and business case into one process, limiting the options and pre-selecting the preferred option, and has led to a further deterioration in the quality of options appraisals and business cases in Barnet.