15 October 2011
Edinburgh Council censors critical report as UNISON
launches privatisation pledge
Unions have warned that the fall-out from Edinburgh
council's £1billion privatisation plans could be
'worse than the trams', as citizens take things
into their own hands by organising public meetings
across the city to demand answers from the council.
Beleaguered officials at City of Edinburgh Council
have censored a report which records public attitudes
to the proposed £1 billion privatisation of
council services.
Peter Hunter, UNISON's Regional Organiser for Edinburgh
said:
“The council has a legal obligation to consult
stakeholders on the great service sell-off and there
has been growing criticism of the veil of secrecy
surrounding plans for privatisation”.
Councillors attending public meetings across the
city have witnessed the clamour for openness and
transparency – a call endorsed in writing
by UNISON, Audit Scotland and the council’s
own independent consultants.
The censored report was written for the council
by pollsters IPSOS MORI and it is based on the views
of Edinburgh residents who came together to debate
the council’s privatisation plan.
In response UNISON has launched a “Privatisation
Pledge” - the union will be asking elected
politicians to oppose privatisation of services
until there has been full public consultation and
proper scrutiny.
Peter Hunter explained the background:
“UNISON and the council’s consultants
have been calling for consultation for over a year,
but secrecy is the name of the game in Waverley
Court. The MORI report was always just a fig leaf
– it was only commissioned after the negotiation
with bidders was finished. People never had the
chance to influence the design of new services.”
Now the council faces further intense criticism
for censoring public opinion.
Peter Hunter said:
“The lesson of the trams fiasco is that we
need more scrutiny, not less. When we heard a rumour
that the MORI report was being suppressed we made
a Freedom of Information Request which has been
refused. We’ll see what the courts make of
that, but in the meantime we’re calling on
councillors to make a stand. We want all councillors
to pledge their public opposition to privatisation
until we’ve had open and transparent consultation
across the city. The city needs another tram fiasco
like a hole in the head.”
ENDS
PICTURE OPPORTUNITY: Sat 11.30 , The Mound - Launch
of Privatisation Pledge – with giant Pledge
card
Note to editors
Elected politicians across the Edinburgh and Lothian
area are being asked to sign the Privatisation Pledge.
The pledge, which will be launched on the Mound
at 11.30 am on Saturday 15 October, reads as follows:
“I think it’s best that vital public
services are delivered efficiently by public servants,
not private companies. So I’m very concerned
about plans for wholesale privatisation of large
swathes of Edinburgh Council services under the
Alternative Business Models (ABM) process - especially
since allowing bidders to close the pension scheme
means that there’s not a level playing field
for the in-house bid. Until there has been full
public consultation and proper scrutiny I will oppose
any moves by City of Edinburgh Council to appoint
private companies to do its core work for it”
For further information please contact
Peter Hunter, Regional Organiser, on 07740167777
For further information www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/citynotforsale
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