§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further action he proposes to take524W against those local authorities whose direct labour and direct service organisations failed to meet their statutory financial objectives in 1995–96. [21124]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordOn 14 January this year, 52 statutory notices were served on 36 local authorities concerning the failure of their direct labour and service organisations to meet the required financial objectives in 1995–96. My right hon. Friend has now considered the responses to those notices, and has decided to give 40 directions to 31 local authorities.
The directions take the following forms:
Preventing the authority from carrying out the work if it fails to meet the financial objective in 1996–97 or 1997–98.
- for Wolverhampton MBC (grounds maintenance),
Preventing the authority from carrying out the work if it fails to meet the financial objective in 1997–98 or 1998–99.
- for Liverpool city council (other catering, building maintenance)
- for New Forest district council (other catering),
Requiring the authority to retender the work and to seek the consent of the Secretary of State if proposing to award the work in-house.
- for Aylesbury Vale district council (refuse collection),
- for Carrick district council (other catering),
- for Cheltenham borough council (highways and sewers),
- for Harborough district council (refuse collection),
- for London borough of Merton (vehicle maintenance),
- for London borough of Newham (grounds maintenance),
- for North Hertfordshire district council (building maintenance),
- for Oxfordshire county council (schools and welfare catering),
- for Peterborough city council (other cleaning),
- for Rochdale MBC (building maintenance),
Requiring authorities to retender work if they fail to meet the financial objective in 1996–97 or 1997–98, and to seek the Secretary of State's consent where the work has to be retendered and where the authority subsequently wish to award work in-house.
525W
- for Amber Valley district council (other cleaning),
- for Bassetlaw district council (refuse collection),
- for Birmingham city council (grounds maintenance),
- for London borough of Brent (other cleaning),
- for Knowsley MBC (other catering),
- for London borough of Newham (highways and sewers),
- for Northumberland county council (schools and welfare catering),
- for Nottinghamshire county council (schools and welfare catering),
- for Pendle borough council (refuse collection),
- for Rochdale MBC (schools and welfare catering),
- for Sefton MBC (vehicle maintenance),
- for South Lakeland district council (refuse collection),
- for South Tyneside MBC (schools and welfare catering),
- for Stoke on Trent city council (highways and sewers),
- for Westminster city council (grounds maintenance),
- for Wolverhampton MBC (schools and welfare catering).
Requiring authorities to retender work if they fail to meet the financial objective in 1997–98 or 1998–99, and to seek the Secretary of State's consent where the work has to be retendered and where the authority subsequently wish to award work in-house.
- for Amber Valley district council (grounds maintenance),
- for Barnsley MBC (schools and welfare catering),
- for Cannock Chase district council (highways and sewers),
- for Cheltenham borough council (building maintenance),
- for Oldham MBC (vehicle maintenance, building maintenance, highways and sewers),
- for Peterborough city council (building maintenance),
- for Wyre borough council (other cleaning).
Requiring authorities to retender work if they fail to meet the financial objective in 1998–99 or 1999–2000, and to seek the Secretary of State's consent where the work has to be retendered and where the authority subsequently wish to award work in-house.
- for Tynedale district council (building maintenance).
The Secretary of State has also decided to take no further statutory action in respect of financial failure in 1996–96 by:
- Bedfordshire county council (building cleaning, grounds maintenance, other catering)
- Co. Durham district council (new construction over £50,000),
- Corby borough council (sports and leisure management),
- Hart district council (other catering),
- London borough of Merton (other catering),
- North Hertfordshire district council (sports and leisure management),
- Peterborough city council (grounds maintenance),
- Preston borough council (highways and sewers),
- Wyre borough council (highways and sewers, vehicle maintenance).
This action demonstrates our commitment to protect the interests of local taxpayers, and ensure that they receive value for money services from their local authorities. Where authorities' in-house teams have failed to achieve their financial targets, and where they do not seem to have taken the steps necessary to bring about an improvement in their performance, we will not hesitate to take statutory action.