G4S and Serco - victory for common sense at last!

And so the ideas go round and round - let's try this - oh no, doesn't work - let's try something else and so on ad infinitum. No wonder our public services are such mess - nothing is thought through or properly researched and implemented. All this farming out to the private sector has caused mayhem - I just despair.

Chris Grayling was called to the Justice Select Committee to answer to the complaints, challenges, queries and grievances put forward by the National Probation Service (worrying to find that no-one in government knows enough to put these issues to him!). He refused to give the names of the 35 companies and consortia who are the MoJ preferred bidders for probation work. However the NAPO Secretary believes that the bidding list might include Capita, A4E, Carillion, GEO, Delta, Sedexo, Stonham Housing, Willowdene and eight mutuals made up of consortia of probation and the private and voluntary sectors. It was also evident from the Minister’s answers that the original timetable had slipped and handover to the private sector is now set for December 2014. Seems hopeful probation might retain the work at this rate.

Shame they've not waited to put well-thought out plans forward first, before threatening probation staff in formal letters of intent, informing them of moves to unknown employers, resulting in grievances and meetings to plan strike ballots for all the stressed out staff who are worried about what is going to happen to them.

Good news when

Excellent news but I am also cynical about what the alternative might be. Public sector services were never perfect & needed to learn more about efficiency but at least most people in them were there for the right reasons & cared about serving their clients & the public rather than just being there to make money alone. Too often the contracts go to private companies which can deliver the cheapest price which means they can't employ the best people & only do the tangible things that can be measured.

Well, we are coming up to an election. No doubt, if this lot get in again, it will be business as usual.