Tender for Special Needs Transport - 'Rotten from start to finish'
The local newspaper may be defunct but thankfully we still have Private Eye to keep an eye on what is going on in local government in our area. As usual LBHF features in Rotten Boroughs - this time over the award of a million pound plus contract for the transport of people with special needs. Olympic South/Healthcare and Transport Services Ltd seems to be able to win lots of business from Conservative local authorities despite existing local firms with a much better record being available to take on the contract.The Eye says that Croydon council sacked this firm in 2010 after it exposed the corrupt way it won a similar contract. They now are responsible for the transport of severely disabled and elderly people in the tri-borough area including LBHF. The Eye says that a whistleblower has told them that the tendering process was highly irregular and that it was 'rotten from start to finish' with financially unsound decisions. Professional Council staff gave strong warnings that the company getting the contract was unsuitable. Local firm Crystal Coaches has had to close after having run the service for the last 21 years.
Karen Taylor ● 3892d0 Comments