Harrow Council recently chose not to renew their housing repairs contract with Kier, opting instead for three smaller providers who will compete with each other for service satisfaction.
The move is expected to save the council around £800,000 of their £4 million annual repair bill, or 20 per cent. Residents will be encouraged to provide feedback on their experience and it is hoped that competition between the providers should result in a better service for residents and ultimately a better deal for taxpayers.
This calls into question the case put forward by the Local Government Association last week when they said councils will no longer be able to provide vital services by 2020 because of reduced funding. My colleague Rory Meakin said in review of their document, “services don’t have to be provided in the existing way just because they always have been.” This imaginative move by Labour-led Harrow shows that there is scope for all councils to save huge amounts of taxpayers’ money. Other councils should consider adopting Harrow’s innovative approach when renewing contracts.Harrow Council recently chose not to renew their housing repairs contract with Kier, opting instead for three smaller providers who will compete with each other for service satisfaction.
The move is expected to save the council around £800,000 of their £4 million annual repair bill, or 20 per cent. Residents will be encouraged to provide feedback on their experience and it is hoped that competition between the providers should result in a better service for residents and ultimately a better deal for taxpayers.
This calls into question the case put forward by the Local Government Association last week when they said councils will no longer be able to provide vital services by 2020 because of reduced funding. My colleague Rory Meakin said in review of their document, “services don’t have to be provided in the existing way just because they always have been.” This imaginative move by Labour-led Harrow shows that there is scope for all councils to save huge amounts of taxpayers’ money. Other councils should consider adopting Harrow’s innovative approach when renewing contracts.
The move is expected to save the council around £800,000 of their £4 million annual repair bill, or 20 per cent. Residents will be encouraged to provide feedback on their experience and it is hoped that competition between the providers should result in a better service for residents and ultimately a better deal for taxpayers.
This calls into question the case put forward by the Local Government Association last week when they said councils will no longer be able to provide vital services by 2020 because of reduced funding. My colleague Rory Meakin said in review of their document, “services don’t have to be provided in the existing way just because they always have been.” This imaginative move by Labour-led Harrow shows that there is scope for all councils to save huge amounts of taxpayers’ money. Other councils should consider adopting Harrow’s innovative approach when renewing contracts.Harrow Council recently chose not to renew their housing repairs contract with Kier, opting instead for three smaller providers who will compete with each other for service satisfaction.
The move is expected to save the council around £800,000 of their £4 million annual repair bill, or 20 per cent. Residents will be encouraged to provide feedback on their experience and it is hoped that competition between the providers should result in a better service for residents and ultimately a better deal for taxpayers.
This calls into question the case put forward by the Local Government Association last week when they said councils will no longer be able to provide vital services by 2020 because of reduced funding. My colleague Rory Meakin said in review of their document, “services don’t have to be provided in the existing way just because they always have been.” This imaginative move by Labour-led Harrow shows that there is scope for all councils to save huge amounts of taxpayers’ money. Other councils should consider adopting Harrow’s innovative approach when renewing contracts.