County's School Transport Contract Out of Control

1.00.00pm GMT Mon 26th Jan 2004

... insufficient control over ...the performance of the contract!

Surrey County Council has inadequate information on the performance of the contract to provide school transport in Surrey; Surrey County Council's Corporate Management Select Committee has been informed. It was admitted that the contract to provide school transport was not set up in a way that allows the County Council to check whether what the contractors are doing is the most efficient and cost effective way of providing the service.

At the moment the County Council is testing a system to gather this essential information that, if it proves to work, will cost a further £30,000 to install.

Councillor Janet Maines, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council, said, "Over the years, more and more of the County Council's services have been contracted out by the Tory administration, with the stated aim of saving money!". She added, "This is just one example out of many, where a contract has been set up in such a way that the Council has insufficient control over, or knowledge of, the performance of the contract!"