The privatisation of Barnet Council

Click this link - http://onebarnet.co.uk/ - You will get a web page with the Barnet Council on top, a message from the CEO - Nick Walkley and the following text at the bottom of the page

Registered office: 71 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, SW1H OXA Registered in England. A part of the Capita Group Plc. Veredus 2009.

 
Has Barnet Council been taken over by Capita? Apart from the detail at the bottom, there is nothing on this website to indicate that it is anything other than an official Barnet Council website.

Here is an extract from the One Barnet page on this website

Next Steps – A ‘One Barnet’ Approach

We have already acknowledged that Barnet residents deserve and expect high quality, efficient public services. As a council, we accept that we are not best placed to deliver everything. These services will be delivered more effectively, efficiently and with greater quality by our public sector partners but also in the private and third sector.

Interestingly, they've also just signed a deal with Brent Council

http://www.capita.co.uk/media/Pages/LondonBoroughofBrentsigns%C2%A315millioncontractwithCapitatoadministerrevenuesservice.aspx

The Capita/Brent Council press release announces the following :-

Capita will be helping the Council to improve processes and support the objectives of its ‘One Council’ programme which is designed to deliver value for money while ensuring excellent service delivery. 

Just in case you didn't realise, Brent Council is a Labour Council. Different Council, different party running it, same old bullshit.


Oh and by the way, Capita set up the OneBarnet website in 2009. Guess how much money has been saved with the One Barnet program in the intervening two years?