21 April (Part 2) - Another privatisation in Bexley
At the beginning of March
the Labour group on Bexley Council put forward an
alternative budget. Nothing far reaching, it was designed to save only a small amount of money,
about £140,000 a year, but it was enough to improve litter picking services,
freeze the short term car parking charges which have since gone up by 20% and
have enough left over to maintain the Belvedere Splash Park. Naturally the
Tories wanted nothing to do with it.
The
largest part of the saving was to come from ceasing door to door delivery of
the Bexley Magazine. A £50,000 saving was possible if the magazine was left at
pick up points and internet downloads encouraged. The reason for that idea being so
hastily dismissed has just become clear, Bexley Council has privatised the
magazine distribution service.
What used to be delivered by a lowly paid army of volunteers, many of them
retired Council staff, some with 20 years of delivery service, is now in the
care of London Letterbox Marketing which has been awarded a contract by Bexley Council.
Except for some funny business during an election purdah period when Bexley
Council decided against delivering my magazine, the service to my door in the
past has been perfect. The contractor obviously cannot improve on that.
The next issue is due in June.