NEWS
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THE SENTINEL Wednesday September 28, 2011
In brief
Hospice counts cost of thefts
SMALLTHORNE: Committal to Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court will take place on November 8 for Michael Goodwin. The 32-year-old, of Orion Street, Smallthorne, is accused of production of cannabis with an alleged street, value of between £6,000 and £8,000. The alleged offence is said to have taken place in Smallthorne on September 3. The defendant was bailed by magistrates until the next hearing.
THIEVES have targeted a charity twice in less than a week. Parts have been stolen from vans used by Katharine House Hospice’s charity shops. The parts were worth about £700 and the theft meant the vehicles had to be taken off the road for two days until they could be repaired. It came days after £500 of lead was taken from the roof of the hospice, in Weston Road, Stafford. Communications manager Nigel Connor said “We rely on the kindness and generosity of our community to help us raise the majority of the annual £2.5 million we need to maintain our free services. “Local people work very hard every year to help us raise these funds. It is extremely saddening to think these callous individuals have stolen from people who need our care.” The thefts happened over the weekend of September 17 and 18.
WHERE’S THE BEAR?: Children have been on a bear hunt. They visited City Central Library in Hanley for the interactive event. Children enjoyed stories about the animals, then were invited to join in a bear hunt around the library.
Taps shortage affects hospital
RESIDENTS will be able to park for free in the run-up to Christmas in two towns. Stafford Borough Council is waiving parking charges in both Stone and Stafford town centres after holding talks with traders. It means free parking will be available in the two towns from 1pm on Saturday, December 3 and 10. All 15 council-run car parks in Stafford, and all three in Stone, will be free to use as part of attempts to attract shoppers who could have been tempted to go elsewhere. Chris Lewis, chairman of Stafford town centre partnership, said: “We need to utilise these opportunities to keep our town centre moving forward.” Councillor Frances Beatty, cabinet member for planning, added: “The offer of free parking is designed to encourage people to do their Christmas shopping or go out for a seasonal lunch.”
‘Save us money or you won’t get paid’ BY ALEX CAMPBELL alex.campbell@thesentinel.co.uk
MORE consultants are to be brought into a council, but will only be paid once any savings are found. The Sentinel revealed on Monday that Stoke-on-Trent City Council is preparing to spend £200,000 more on Vanguard Consulting’s services after a damning report exposed a catalogue of bureaucratic waste. The authority is planning to bring in more consultants from another outside body to review why ambitious savings targets are not being met. It challenged bidders for the work to demonstrate a ‘no win, no fee’ style business case in which they will not be paid until the savings have been cut from budgets and banked. But they will be able to propose their own fee structure and will work with the council indefinitely. Buckingham-based Vanguard has identified £600,000 in savings at the council, but has confirmed none in procurement, despite being paid £12,500 for 14.5 days spent with the department. The procurement department is also on course to miss its £1.5 million savings target, prompting councillors to form a dedicated task and finish action group to examine how its fortunes can be reversed. Officers from neighbouring Staffordshire County Council have worked with the council to help reform its procurement methods. Councillor Joy Garner, chairman of the task and finish group on procurement meth-
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SKIPPER: ‘ONE ‘ONE OF OUR BEST’
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Consultants expose inefficiencies
‘Come clean over pool deal’
‘RED TAPE’ BILL TO HIT £600k
BY ALEX CAMPBELL
alex.campbell@thesentinel.co.uk
A DAMNING report today reveals the extent to which Stoke-on-Trent City Council has become engulfed by red tape. Consultants drafted in to help the local authority cut its budget will be paid up to £200,000 more to find extra savings. The decision to extend Vanguard Consulting’s work at the authority could take the firm’s total bill to more than £604,000. A review of the savings identified by Vanguard condemns inefficiencies in a number of the services reviewed – including adult social care and highways. Consultants found that: I Arranging for dropped kerbs to be installed took an average of two years, and sometimes up to 1,148 days – more than three years; I Making a record of one defect on one of the city’s roads involved 14 separate pieces of paperwork and 16 inputs on the computer system; I A request for work on highways took an average of 34 days to file, and sometimes up to 75 days;
I It was taking up to 93 days for customers to receive benefits after claiming, leaving them unsure about whether benefits were being paid and resulting in some being targeted by debt collectors; I Every repair carried out at a council property was followed up with a 50p posted letter – resulting in 1,350 letters being sent out every week at a total cost of £35,100 a year; I Maintenance workers were often sent out to repair road defects that had already been repaired; I Carers and disabled people contacting Stoke-on-Call to discuss adaptations to their homes were left waiting for an hour before being passed on to another “team” who asked the same questions; I It can take more than a year to fit stairlifts, and the £65 equipment costs the council £223 to process. The council said Vanguard has identified savings of £600,000 so far, resulting in a net saving of £200,000. As well as identifying inefficiencies, part of Vanguard’s work involves train-
ing staff to learn its methods. The Buckingham firm was brought in last year with a view to being used for up to three years at a total cost of up to £4 million. Councillor Paul Shotton, cabinet member for transformation, pictured, said: “These are savings that will still be there year on year on year. “We are challenging officers to make sure we see savings and a real return on what we’re spending. There are processes that should be completed in five or six steps that take 20 steps. “It’s important to emphasise that the consultants train our people to think differently so there will come a time when they are not needed anymore. “Savings will eventually be in the millions.” The council is trying to implement budget cuts of £36 million this year, and talks will soon begin on how about £25 million more can be cut in 2012/13. The cabinet is due to approve plans to extend Vanguard’s intervention on Thursday. COMMENT: Page 10
What do you think? Email us at letters@thesentinel.co.uk
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A LOCAL authority faced renewed pressure today to reveal the details of a secret settlement with businessman Mo Chaudry following a swimming pool dispute. The Waterworld entrepreneur reached the agreement with cash-strapped Stoke-on-Trent City Council last week after dropping his threat of legal action against them. He had claimed officers broke a deal to close Dimensions splash pool and pay him around £100,000-ayear to offer cut-price entry at Waterworld. Both sides have so far refused to disclose the details of the settlement. Councillor Dave Conway, leader of the opposition City Independents group, said: “I can’t see how they can get away with this because the information is in the public interest. There are a lot of people who want to know the details.”
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THE Sentinel has apologised to readers who were confused when Saturday’s Weekend Sentinel was published with two different prices on its front cover. Mike Sassi, the Editor-inChief of The Sentinel, said: “I‘d like to think we don’t often make mistakes. However, it seems that on this occasion we’ve made a howler – and I have to hold up my hands and apologise. We’re very sorry for the trouble we’ve caused our loyal customers.” Last Saturday’s cover price mistake has been blamed on a production error. The new Saturday edition of The Sentinel, which is called Weekend Sentinel and includes the New Green ‘Un, The Way We Were and the Sentinel Magazine, was launched earlier this month. Its cover price is 60p.
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‘RED TAPE’: Our story about Vanguard on Monday.
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Early Christmas gift for shoppers
Then youngsters also took part in craft activities to make their own bear puppet yesterday. Pictured at the event are threeyear-old Tom Bradshaw, above, and 10-month-old Lucy Walker. Picture: Mark Scott
Council set to get tough on consultants
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MORE elbow operated taps are to be installed at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS) in a bid to make hand-washing easier for both staff and patients. An audit revealed a shortage of the devices on wards was hitting the trust’s battle against infection as they helped frail patients who struggled to turn on traditional taps. On one ward – number 81 – 14 patients were even left to share just two of the elbowoperated ones. The problem was also highlighted in a survey of staff who reported their attempts at infection control were being held back by the lack of hand-washing materials. Now officials at UHNS are to tell its estates department to bring in more of the newstyle taps. Following another complaint, more hand-held hygiene posters are also being supplied to each ward.
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ods, said: “Vanguard’s intervention is focusing on our processes and looking at the way officers work. “This will involve bringing in consultants with specific expertise in this area. “Already we are finding that procurement is a legal mindfield with European restrictions and if someone can help the council pick through it, it’s a good thing.” Councillor Paul Shotton, the council’s deputy leader, said cabinet members are challenging officers to demonstrate that consultants are providing a “real return” on their investment in consultants. A report to the authority’s cabinet states: “Whilst the city council is pursuing a number of savings initiatives internally, it is sensible to utilise external expertise on a ‘no savings no fee basis’ with the aim of delivering more significant savings. “The city council proposes to appoint an external savings partner on an open-ended commission to provide an opportunity for an innovative and organisationally-challenging approach to the procurement of third party goods, services and works.”
What do you think? Email us at letters@thesentinel.co.uk
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NORTHWOOD: Sentence was adjourned for reports until October 19 on Russell Morris. The 39-year-old, of Birch Street, Northwood, has pleaded guilty to theft of electronic games worth £227.99 from Sainsbury’s, in Etruria on August 17. He has also admitted theft from the Potteries Shopping Centre, in Hanley, on September 26. Morris was conditionally bailed until the next hearing. WESTON COYNEY: The next general meeting of Weston Coyney Residents’ Association is due to take place at 6pm tomorrow. It will be held at Weston Coyney Junior School in Princess Drive. The association will give presentations on its future plans to improve the area and the funding it has secured to date. HANLEY: A trial will take place on December 9 in respect of Christopher Ollerhead, aged 24, of Ringland Close, Hanley, who has entered a not guilty plea to stealing a TomTom navigation system worth £125 belonging to the Staffordshire Police Authority.