A little while ago, I was on Radio Norwich, talking about the extraordinary and highly-unusual decision of Norfolk County Council not to competitively tender for the building of the Norwich 'Northern Distributor Road' [or the Norwich 'Northern lots-of-unwanted-new-Development Road' (see http://www.norwichn25.org/ for details) as it should perhaps more accurately be called...]. The Norfolk Tories decided to award the £106.5m contract [though the road will actually likely cost over £140m] to May Gurney [their 'partners'] without even considering any alternative bidders.
How nice, to see such a trusting relationship in local politics/business...
Some might call it a friendly relationship...
They might possibly even call it chummy...
[I couldn't possibly comment...]
A few hours later, news came to me by phone of a well-placed industry source who was incensed at this "collusive tendering", and who questions whether the County's plans were legal...
So it was no surprise to me whatsoever when the government rejected out of hand the County's intentions. The _Eastern Daily Press_ reported ("Government veto for bypass contract") on 20 September that this desperately-bad County Council decision, that the government has now vetoed, will cost Council taxpayers "hundreds" of pounds. That is, to put it mildly, an under-estimate. The wasted money from all the Council-officer time spent on this, for wasted work by May Gurney which we will end up paying for, and (above all) the legal fees that the County Council will now have spent out on checking out whether or not their "collusive tendering" was legal (which presumably the government thinks it was not) is just the latest in a string of disastrous financial decisions made by the Tory County Administration (most notably, the PFI Contracts for school-building which have cost Council-Tax-payers here untold wasted millions)...
Rest assured that this blog will keep a close eye on any cronyism at County Hall, and everywhere in East Anglia where it appears to be taking place.
So it was no surprise to me whatsoever when the government rejected out of hand the County's intentions. The _Eastern Daily Press_ reported ("Government veto for bypass contract") on 20 September that this desperately-bad County Council decision, that the government has now vetoed, will cost Council taxpayers "hundreds" of pounds. That is, to put it mildly, an under-estimate. The wasted money from all the Council-officer time spent on this, for wasted work by May Gurney which we will end up paying for, and (above all) the legal fees that the County Council will now have spent out on checking out whether or not their "collusive tendering" was legal (which presumably the government thinks it was not) is just the latest in a string of disastrous financial decisions made by the Tory County Administration (most notably, the PFI Contracts for school-building which have cost Council-Tax-payers here untold wasted millions)...
Rest assured that this blog will keep a close eye on any cronyism at County Hall, and everywhere in East Anglia where it appears to be taking place.
p.s. Perhaps the supposed political consensus outside the Green Party in favour of the NDR is a paper tiger, in any case. Consider the following quote: "Not many of us support the NDR really but we say we support it in principle to get other improvements." Spoken by Councillor Brian Morrey, outspoken Labour Executive member, at the City Council Executive meeting, 11th July 2007. Comment is superfluous...
Comments