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If you want to hear from a widely-respected academic who has a truckload of case studies on failed private sector attempts to deliver public services, this one is for you:

From Barnet Unison:

Barnet UNISON and the Barnet Alliance for Public Services (BAPS) have organised a public meeting which will address some of the myths of the benefits of privatisation. Professor Dexter Whitfield will be guest speaker (director of European services strategy unit, author, published in the Guardian on privatisation, etc).

The meeting will take place on Tuesday 15 March at 7pm in the Greek Cypriot Community Centre, 2 Britannia Road, London N12 9RU.

Barnet Council is embarking on policy called One Barnet Programme (widely referred to as ‘easycouncil’). This programme has already begun – 24 out of 25 council services have already been told they are to be privatised. Up to £4 million has been spent on consultants and other staff resources in the last three years with no discernible savings for Barnet residents. A further £9.2 million has been put aside for consultants to help deliver this mass privatisation programme.

Dexter will address:

– Costs and consequences of Barnet council policies
– Community needs decided by multinational companies
– The effects on jobs, terms and conditions
– The erosion of democracy and transparency
– Implications of the government’s white paper on public sector reform

This will be followed by a Q& A session

Contact: John Burgess Barnet UNISON on 07738389569 or email: john.burgess@barnetunison.org.uk

Last week, Barnet council passed a budget making £54 million in cuts/savings which included cuts to frontline services and increases in fees and charges to Barnet residents.