... A FORUM TO STIMULATE DEBATE ... ... JUST ADD A COMMENT AT ANY ENTRY BELOW... ... FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF TOWN AND VALLEY ...

Tuesday 18 April 2017

Knowle relocation project: and ‘undeliverable’ projects

This evening, the District Council's audit and scrutiny committees met to consider the latest on plans to move from Knowle to Honiton/Exmouth:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: Audit and Scrutiny Cttees to consider Cabinet proposals: Tuesday 18th April >>> >>> >>> "If the sale of the Knowle did not happen, the Council would be required to pay for the project costs"

The problem being that this actually might not be 'deliverable' - as the District Council might not get the cash it needs after all:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "The chance of Pegasus winning an appeal is probably not that great"

Interestingly, meanwhile on the national stage, projects which are 'undeliverable' are being closely examined:

Auditors urge government to stop ‘undeliverable’ projects

24 Mar 17
The government needs to drop projects it does not think it can deliver, the National Audit Office has said.

In a report published today, the spending watchdog said the civil service is being asked to manage important reforms although it has reduced in size by 26% since 2006...
Civil servants face increased pressures due to a rise in the number of infrastructure, capital and digital projects and the decision to leave the European Union, says Capability in the civil service.
Major projects such as nuclear plant Hinkley Point C, railway High Speed 2 and nuclear weapons deterrent Trident renewal often draw on the same pool of skills, the NAO points out.
“For example, in rail projects such as Crossrail and Thameslink, we have seen skilled civil servants performing a number of project roles or being moved to fill skills gaps for new priorities or projects,” the report says.
Departments have told the NAO they are looking for more senior leaders with specialist expertise to achieve their objectives. They have reported a need for about 2,000 additional staff in digital roles within the next five years. Although, those responsible for the government’s digital skills believe this is an underestimate.
The report suggests the government must prioritise projects – stopping work on those it does not think it can deliver – and assess what will be needed in terms of capacity to deliver each one.
Departments need to assess the capability requirements of their ongoing operations, the spending watchdog states, and look at where they can plug capability gaps from the private sector.
The PCS union said the government’s cuts programme was behind the drop off in capability. General secretary Mar Serwotka said: “The cut first, plan later approach demanded by austerity has damaged services and left the civil service unable to cope with current workloads, let alone the major upheaval caused by the vote to leave the EU.
“While the civil service is trying to deal with Brexit, there is no let-up in the demand and need for quality public services in our communities, which is why we have said all job cuts plans must be halted immediately.”

Auditors urge government to stop ‘undeliverable’ projects | Public Finance
“Auditors urge government to stop ‘undeliverable’ projects” | East Devon Watch

The District Council is not so much taking a 'cut first, plan later' approach - as a 'spend first, plan later' approach...
.
.
.

No comments: