July 13th 2010

The Roger Kershaw Protection Society (better known as CIPFA) has been attempting to browbeat a doughty Somerset resident, Roger Conway, again. Mr Conway wanted Kershaw investigated. CIPFA sat on the issue for the best part of two years, finally produced a report exonerating Kershaw, and then (bizarre of bizzares) refused to let Mr Conway (or anyone else) see the findings unless they signed a gagging order......even though the report has already been heavily edited (probably by Kershaw himself ) !

 Now CIPFA are bleating about ME to Mr Conway:

“We note that Mr Liddell-Grainger has made some amendments to his blog but remain concerned at the incorrect/misleading information which remains on in together with the unauthorised use of the CIPFA logo. Once again we would request that you take steps to have this material removed from the relevant web site. In addition, although we appreciate that confidentiality may not attach to it, out of an abundance of caution, we will be drawing to the attention of the Standards Board for England that a document connected with an investigation that it has conducted has been published on Mr Liddell-Grainger’s web site”.  

 

Am I bovvered? What do you think!!

(PS.....has CIPFA forgotten what is happening to the Standards Board?)

July 1st 2010

Roger Kershaw (see my June 24th entry) deserves a sceptical plaudit for his very survival. This was the man who was put in charge of ISIS (Improving Services in Somerset) by the awful former Chief Executive, Alan Jones. Mr Kershaw chose to maintain his legal role as Section 151 Officer at the same time. More scrupulous public officials would have recognised a huge conflict of interest staring them in the face and stepped aside.

 

Kershaw secured his "day-job" - Resources Director - by dint of his close relationship with Alan Jones. The previous incumbent left suddenly and our Roger was ushered into the role first as a caretaker and then, with Alan Jones connivance,  as the full-time replacement. He was given the title without any of the standard HR policies being followed. There were no other candidates! It was, of course, Roger Kershaw who signed the deal that created SouthWest One. He did the deal at 2am on a Saturday morning! Overnight his pay went up by £30K year and since then his pension has increased by another £15K.

Mr Kershaw is a member ofa professional Association with a strict code of conduct and ethics including:

• Integrity
• Objectivity
• Professional Competence and Due Care
• Confidentiality
• Professional Behaviour  

One doughty Somerset resident has struggled to persuade CIPFA to examine Kershaw's conduct. It took two years to get them to investigate. And now they have produced a whitewash which my Master will only be allowed to see if he is prepared to sign an extraordinary gagging order.

CIPFA have spent two years avoiding the real issues and protecting their "member". They have generated a report rejecting Mr Conway's complaint, but"redacted" much of it (in other words all the sensitive bits have been - mysteriously - excluded)

 

Redacting sensitive documents is nothing new (the House of Commons authorities tried to do it with MPs expenses, and we all know how the public reacted!) Redacting details usually misfires. It smells of cover-up. And Mr Kershaw has a track record in redacting things - see his "evidence" to the Standards Board for England (long and loud do I applaud its abolition!) in which substantial sections of his original words were scored out.....presumably by Mr Kershaw himself!

 

In the current CIPFA case the complainant cannot even see the heavily-edited version until he signs away his right to talk about it! It is the ultimate Catch 22.  Mr Conway is now enlisting the support of all Somerset's MPs to get closer to the truth.

 

We think he's got a big point. Kershaw has form. My Master now intends to challenge CIPFA for explanations.

My Master's mailbag continues to groan with correspondence from disgruntled employees of SouthWest One. Next week I intend to publish material that has arrived from serving police officers complaining that their salaries are still not being paid properly or on time....all because of SAP. But today I bring you an e-mail from a very disgruntled Somerset County Council employee - now seconded to SouthWest One:

1.The majority of ICT staff still do not really know what they are meant to be doing. This is a real shame as we are all intelligent, hardworking, skilled and committed to the people of Somerset
2.Management is displaying far less leadership than before the creation of Southwest One. It seems to be a case of IBM says "Jump", our management say "How high?"
3.We have had no training on how we deal with SCC/TDBC staff in our now commercial Southwest One status. IBM has stated internally that, regardless of status, all calls on ICT are chargeable.
4.Hopefully IBM will be shocked by the number of people registering their interest in voluntary redundancy or early retirement. The irony here is that the best, most productive, people will be lost for short term savings. As someone who has worked both commercially and for the public sector, I am amazed at IBM’s lack of understanding of how the public sector works. They see us as a money pit - this personally disgusts me as it is nothing more than robbing from the people of Somerset for the sake of profit (or less net loss) than actually providing services of benefit for the public.
5.SAP. Where do I begin - any position that becomes vacant in ICT becomes the property of the SAP project meaning that all other ICT projects suffer because of the monster that is SAP. There is no real budget for internal training - that all went on pulling in SAP "experts" from India who have completely failed in their supposed duty for KT (knowledge transfer for those unenlightened souls who do not know IBM speak). SAP has been a complete disaster - I was working with IBM consultants 24 months ago who stated that the only way to make it work in Somerset would be to junk what we had and start again to provide a software model that worked for a rural County Council (as opposed to a northern municipal council.
6.The overwhelming majority of SCC and TDBC staff seconded to Southwest One are frustrated that they cannot serve the people of Somerset as well as they could 3 years ago. Please do not be harsh on us seconded staff - we had no say in this!!!

June 24th 2010

Don't say we didn't warn you. For months I have been twitching my whiskers about the dismal operating system that IBM forced Somerset to buy when South West One was formed. SAP is the pits. And now Somerset's own official auditors admit it! Their report has just been delivered to Somerset County Council's Audit Committee. Click on the SAP logo to read it in full, but here are some meaty morsels starting on Page 7:

3.23 The audit review has identified that due to system errors within SAP CRM there is as yet no formal monitoring of feedback and it is not possible to report on learning outcomes from complaints. In addition to this, the feedback from customer satisfaction surveys is not reported on, again because the system is unable to provide the required reports. 

3.30 While SCC Finance and representatives of SWOne have endeavoured to address problems encountered during the early part of SAP implementation, a number of control weaknesses have been identified through this process. Staff across the County Council experienced problems with using elements of the SAP system. This led to a need to introduce alternative working methods and at times this compromised internal controls. Reconciliation and budgetary information was delayed and large numbers of duplicate payments were processed.

 

3.52 Our annual review of the key financial controls has identified a number of control weaknesses which can be attributed to issues surrounding the implementation of SAP. Staff across the County Council have experienced problems using elements of the SAP system. This has led to having to work around the system and put a great deal of time and effort in trying to cope with the work-arounds, which in turn has caused major disruption in some areas and had an adverse impact on the assessment of operating controls. The problems the Council experienced during the implementation of SAP in respect of the payment of invoices, the raising of and collection of monies owed to the Council have had a significant effect on back office services.

And if you think this lot is bad, then you might like to examine the latest report of the  They charged Somerset a much bigger fee this year simply because SAP caused so many complications!

 

So which overpaid Somerset official is to blame for all of this? Some say the County's Corporate Director of Resources Roger Kershaw (seen here in a Ronald Arthur Biggs pose) ought to be hanging his head in shame. He was in at the start of the whole dreadful fiasco as Alan Jones' right hand man.

 

June 14th 2010

The cracks within Southwest One are widening fast.....the rats inside may be preparing to abandon ship. All those predictions about how the company would save money for Somerset County Council have proved empty and worthless.  Now the police are waking up to what a fine mess Colin Port and his missus got them into. At the end of last month Mr Port produced a report about "Strategic Alliances". It disclosed for the first time that the police are withholding payments to IBM for SAP - because it is proving to be such complete rubbish. The police hired a "procurement category manager" to try and move things along. This hapless individual quit after only three weeks! SouthWest One hasn't saved any money for the boys in blue and all talk of cooperation with other forces seems to leave SouthWest One out. Which begs the question, Mr Port, isn't it time you jumped overboard too? 

Here's the full report (read, carefully, between the lines)

June 10th 2010

 Have you looked at Somerset County Council's webpages lately? They should have named it "austerity.com" It is full of grim news about cuts to come. It is slow, ugly and functions worse than the site it so expensively replaced. Don't believe me? Ask the experts:

The Society of IT Management has just given SCC's website a rating of "Poor"

This is a huge irony because it was built by (wait for it) IBM and it cost far more than the £4.5million the Council is now seeking to save from the budget. So perhaps it is no surprise that the new Chief executive, Sheila Wheeler, decided she wouldn't waste a single penny of taxpayers' cash by launching a Blog on SCC's inefficient IBM creation. Instead she put her Blog up free via Wordpress. Members of staff are allowed to make comments. There are quite a few fruity ones about the appalling SAP system foisted on Somerset by IBM!

May 19th 2010

A fine new collectors' item has been drawn to my attention:

I am assured that it is a snip at £9.99p (including P+P)

But the manufacturers offer no guarantees against chips, cracks or complete collapse. Don't say I didn't warn you.

May 14th 2010

 Should I be hanging my head in shame? Nope. I stand by what I said. Finding their way out of a paper bag is not one of the Liberal Democrats strongest sports. That's why we should be keep our eyes wide open as the new coalition government proceeds.

PS.....Lib Dem lunacy has a habit of coming back to haunt us all. It was the Lib Dems who signed up with IBM and agreed to the installation of their wildly inefficient SAP operating system. SAP cost a packet and has delivered nothing but nightmares. There are still at least ten Indian nationals working in Taunton in highly sensitive areas who have not been security vetted. Happily the new Conservative administration at County Hall is currently investigating how to get some cash back from IBM for this whole disaster. And I'm pleased to report that Taunton Deane is also hot on the trail of SAP too.

May 12th 2010

During the election I have not had the opportunity to bring you up to date on the latest comings and goings within SouthWest One.

Dr Moira Hamlin, chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Authority will be stepping down in a matter of weeks. Dr Hamlin and the Chief Constable gave glowing testimony about SouthWest One to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee last November. But they both singularly failed to tell the committee that they were (and still are) members of the board of SouthWest One. This "oversight" caused consternation amongst the committee staff - who are sticklers for accuracy and honesty. As a result the evidence given by Dr Hamlin and the Chief Constable remains on the record but was, effectively, treated with kid gloves when the final report was published.

May 7th 2010

Elections are, or ought to be, humbling experiences. Politicians will be trying to digest the lessons of last night for months - maybe years. I am not prepared to risk indigestion. I fought the campaign on my local record as a battler. I am not suddenly going to turn soft. So contact me whenever you need help. Tip me off about wrong-doings. And allow me one last filmic dose of self-deprecating triumphalism before we get down to business. Meet my tv hero: 

 

April 11th 2010

Darn it! I have been neutered until after May 6th (election Day). Click the box for details of where my Master is now. And please watch out for his ruthless canine sidekick: Snoopy..........

Snoopy will be equipped with a collar-cam. Stand by for her video reports direct from the front line.

(ps - you can e-mail the boss on: Vote4Ianliddellgrainger@gmail.com

March 31st 2010

I was going to run this story tomorrow, but I did not want my loyal readers to think it was just another April Fool's joke. First, though, please answer the following questions:     

• Do you work for South West One?
• Would you work harder if they promised  "special prizes"?
• And what would the most special "special prize" be?

All is now revealed in a gushing, tacky e-mail from the Chief Executive - a certain Ms Fiona Dipstick

To:Southwest One Staff

Subject:SWONE Recognition Scheme - Information for Colleagues

SENT ON BEHALF OF FIONA CAPSTICK - SWONE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Dear Colleague,
 
Southwest One is pleased to announce the introduction of a new Recognition Scheme - 'Rewarding Excellence'.
 
This scheme will enable us to recognise and celebrate the special efforts and specific contribution of our colleagues. The scheme brings together some of the ways in which our partners have traditionally recognised high performance as well as introducing some new ways to celebrate success.

Individual Awards enables any of us, as staff in Southwest One, to nominate a colleague for recognition.Nominations for the other awards will be made by line managers and can include nominations of whole teams for their particular joint efforts.  The other award categories are:

·                 Honoraria

·                 Special Award

·                 Team Award

·                 Chairman's Dinner Award 

Yes folks, the big event is dinner with Big Jay Tidmarsh himself - flame grilled, high on cholesterol, and so low on profits that South West One's founding members will soon be demanding their money back.

March 26th 2010

 I had good reason to report the minutes of Somerset's Secondary Heads Association last November - they were (quite rightly) complaining about the fiasco of SAP and how school budgets had been rendered unworkable. Now I have become the subject of SASH discussions.......this is what they recently had to say about me:

1.              LIDDELL GRAINGER – Barry made reference to the email from David Taylor over Christmas informing colleagues that Liddell Grainger had posted a copy of the minutes from the SASH Exec meeting on 13 November on his website, drawing attention to the issues with SAP and SouthWest One.  Barry felt it was important to note that SASH Exec minutes are not confidential and it might be timely to investigate the possibility of password protections for minutes or separating out any confidential items on the agenda. 

If they want to keep their problems with SAP a secret, that's a shame. But - so far - the official minutes of the latest meeing (15th January) are still available on their website. No doubt Sir Jay (all-news-is-bad-news) Tidmarsh will soon be sending them a letter demanding SASH removes every detail!

March 23rd 2010

An anguished letter from Sir Jay Tidmarsh has arrived on my desk - I wept as I read it, but mostly with laughter:

He seeks the return of "confidential documents" - one page of which I published recently. Sir James clearly misunderstands the role of an MP in protecting the interests of taxpayers and constituents. The document about which he protests might have been intended by the senior officers of South West One to remain confidential, but was handed to me in good faith by someone who was disturbed at the contents. So am I. Sir Jay may prefer to keep the parlous state of his company out of the public eye, but Sir Jay should understand that it is both my job and my duty to ensure that public money is not wasted. 

March 14th 2010

When the board of South West One gathered at Valley Road. Portishead (offices of the Police Authority) on September 22nd last year the accounts for the first year were three months late in filing and still unfinalised. But Finance Director Mark Whittle still produced a graphic forecast:

He gloomily predicted losses of £3.6 million for 2008 and a whopping £24.6 million for 2009! We await formal publication of the 2009 accounts to see how accurate Mr Whittle was.

February 26th 2010

  Congratulations to the new regime at County Hall. This week an important inquiry began into how South West One was created. I applaud the initiative and wish the inquiry team well. The contract for South West One was signed in the small hours of a September Saturday morning in 2007.  The Lib-Dems and the former Chief Executive were responsible.

The inquiry should  prove what a shoddy deal it was. Meantime we have to live with the consequences. 

One set of accounts has been published - up to December 2008

A loss of £2.5 million is shown. But this may not be the whole story. Some financially astute observers of the situation have sent me the following interpretation:

"A glance at the balance sheet and note 11 to the accounts, however, suggests that the company is operating a policy which might be called:  "Capitalise the Cock-up". What it looks like they have done is this:  They have incurred £17.5 million of "transition costs" up to 31 December 2008, and instead of putting these as expenses in the profit and loss account (which would have given them a loss for the period of £20 million, not just £2.5 million), they put the £17.5 million as assets in the balance sheet. Now, to an auditor (especially veterans of the credit-crunch), these might look suspiciously like "toxic assets". Certainly, the £17.5 million would evaporate the instant SW1 ceased to be a "going concern" Furthermore, the company is only a "going concern" because of guarantees provided by IBM (see directors report). From a commercial point of view, this would not matter if everything started to get rosy. After all, if it's a 10 year contract, they could write off the £20 million over the remaining nine years (still a hefty charge to the profit and loss account of over £2 million per year ... but not necessary disastrous - for IBM at least). From Somerset's point of view it is not quite so great, since this still means squeezing £20 million out of the contract."

I very much hope the inquiry team will be able to shed a lot more light on the financial position of South West One. And I am yet to be convinced that the inherent faults of IBM's awful SAP system have been completely cured. Last night the following e-mail arrived. I understand a copy has already been sent to the County Council Leader.

 

From:	NAME REDACTED FOR DATA PROTECTION
Sent:	25 February 2010 17:10:04
To:	ianliddellgrainger@hotmail.co.uk

The great and good at County Hall who keep on telling us that the South West One contract and particularly the SAP accounts programme is the ‘best thing since sliced bread’ continue to live in their fantasy world. Their belief in SAP is so high that they actually paid up the whole contract sum (£40 million) before it had been fully installed or properly tested, which is neither a sound nor usual business practice.  To emphasis the foolhardiness of this action, people are starting to receive bills that have absolutely nothing to do with them in any form whatsoever. One of my neighbours, who is 93 years old and with failing sight, received a payment request for £288 relating to a ‘Lakeview monitoring visit’. You can imagine the worry and distress that this unexpected demand for, what is in the circumstances a large sum of money, caused.  Fortunately, there is a lot of support for neighbours in our little community and the appropriate office at County Hall was contacted and the error identified. The SCC Officer was most apologetic about their “rogue” accounts system which has been issuing many such false accounts and requested the return of the papers to help her track down the problem. The whole SAP and South West One farce is simply just not good enough. It is costing the Council Tax payers an absolute fortune for a system that doesn’t work and it has already resulted in local jobs being exported to India, not to mention that 75% of any ‘profit’ goes straight into the pockets of an American Multi-National Company. 

February 5th 2010

Ask a sensible question - get a silly answer

I don't give up easily. Yesterday I quizzed the Leader of the House about these pathetic Ministerial responses .....and, by gum, she's going to do something about it. Watch this space.

January 31st 2010

Mogg welcomes the new Chief Executive of Somerset  County Council:

 

She answers to the name of Sheila Wheeler and comes with a no-nonsense reputation. Her salary will soon be part of the SCC payroll entrusted to SAP, a computer system that gives a new meaning to the word efficiency (another legacy of Alan Jones). 

I am snowed under with leaks about SAP from the boys in blue.

  Have a look at this police blog. Scroll down to entry No: 50. According to Colin Hanks SAP may not be paying Police pensions properly.

Sheila should put South West One and SAP top of her Taunton hit list.

January 28th 2010

My good friends in the Avon and Somerset Police service are still, quite rightly, smarting about the impact of South West One's useless SAP system on their sanity and their paypackets.

Much has been - and will continue to be - written about this subject, because, frankly the whole thing stinks And if you want to get a real close up whiff of the smell I invite you to revisit the "evidence" given by Dr Moira Hamlin - chair of the Police Authority - and Mr Simon Humberstone - of IBM and South West One. They were called in by the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee. In view of South West One's dismal performance and SAP's disastrous implementation their words seem positively absurd. You can read the whole thing by clicking this link - but my feline friends have found the best bits:

"The Chair of the Police Authority, Dr Moira Hamlin, explained that the two drivers behind SouthWest One were "funding" and "a desire to transform and modernise the services." Avon and Somerset is the second worst affected force in the country in terms of the impact of the application of the funding formula, meaning that in 2009/10 the force potentially has to address a £5m funding gap: SouthWest One is intended to enable savings in the region of £35m over the next ten years, including £15 million in procurement savings and £18m from the unitary charge.

• Expertise in delivering back-office services;
• An experience in managing risk; and
• Available funds for investment which might not otherwise be available to the public sector, in particular being able to provide significant investment up-front.

January 26th 2010

BUCKS......but no fizz!

Click the glass and you can read the latest disastrous news about Buckinghamshire County Council's "Pathfinder" project - an effort to save money by outsourcing....except it all went terminally wonky. BT and Capita pulled out. IBM was the preferred bidder and now IBM has been given the bum's rush. Sounds horribly familiar? Somerset County Council and Avon and Somerset Police linked up with IBM when South West One was created. Every Council Tax payer in the county is now footing the bill for this corporate cock-up. And guess what?

The architect of both the disastrous South West One and Buckinghamshire's failed Pathfinder programme was Sue Barnes, wife of Colin Port, Avon & Somerset's Chief Constable. What a fine upstanding couple they make.

January 20th 2010

The editor of the influential "Police Review" tells me he has his team on my security scandal story. Mr Herbert (and others) will also be interested in the latest official response from the Government. I asked the Home Office to tell me how many temporary visas had been issued to IBM(India) staff working in the UK on the Avon and Somerset Police contract. This was the pathetic response:  

I intend to relentlessly pursue this matter until we get proper answers.

PLUS.....another Government cock-up:

The Department of Energy gave in to local pressure and arranged an extra meeting about Hinkley. The meeting is next week (January 27th) but you can't go unless you register your name on the Department's website and that registration process is already full - see for yourself. This is crazy. I am demanding an additional meeting to satisfy demand.

January 15th 2010

I raised the issue of the South West One security scandal in Parliament yesterday  (and there will be more where that came from!)

Meanwhile a voice from the past has come forward to confess all about this fiasco.   Yes, folks, Alan Jones is bragging again:

"Alan promoted and led the creation of South West One, a groundbreaking public-private sector partnership of national and international significance."

You couldn't make it up! Jones was effectively dismissed from Somerset County Council, but is now advertising himself as a guru of partnerships. My attention has been drawn to his tacky new website where he rambles on at nauseating length about how he can save the galaxy. 

BUT AT LEAST WE NOW KNOW WHO TO BLAME!

January 11th 2010

 If you are a police officer helping to keep Somerset moving in the big freeze, here's some bad news. Chances are you will not be getting overtime payments quickly. Avon and Somerset Police now relies on SAP. SAP is a dismal and expensive failure. The Police Federation is already grumbling and the Home Secretary ought to be kicking up a stink. But there is much worse news. The SAP fiasco may be a national security scandal too. Mogg brings you the story in full today.

<></>December 21st 2009

I would hate Sir Jay and his incompetent pals to choke on their turkey (an overweight and undertalented beast also known as South West One), but this public "endorsement" simply couldn't wait. The men and women who run Somerset's Secondary schools have given South West One the absolute bird. In fact they want out - as soon as possible. They have discovered what we all knew, that SAP is a total disaster and South West One is an expensive joke. 

December 18th 2009

In the hope that Father Christmas delivers a little of what you desire next week I wish all my feline followers a very happy Christmas.

This seasonal bonhomie is extended to all those hapless folk who work for South West One (its hardly the workers fault, is it!) But I have a funny feeling that their bosses can expect rather less peace and goodwill in 2010. I think they're about to be rumbled. Watch this space!

Friday November 27th 2009

 £2,500,000.00p

This is the appalling extent of official pre-tax losses for South West One up to December 2008. What a catastrophe! The accounts were filed three months late and the company incurred a stiff fine. Next years books will be even worse because of the ongoing cock-ups and costs of SAP. One head has already rolled - and (bless my soul) its another bloke called Jones: 

click his face and you'll see that SouthWest One's website  is bang up to date....he's still officially CEO. But Mogg has the cheesy goodbye memo:

Sent: Thu 26/11/2009

To: Southwest One Staff
Subject: Message from Richard Jones: Leadership Change

Dear Colleagues,
  
I have decided to take up an offer of early retirement and to leave both IBM and SWOne on December 5th.I have been involved with this programme since its inception and I will be leaving with many fond memories and hopefully some new found friends. Although we have suffered some significant system challenges, overall SWOne has made a very good start and established many new ideas in the public / private arena.Whist a new Chief Executive is being appointed, Simon Humberstone, a long standing member of the Board, will assume my primary responsibilities. A potential replacement for me has been identified and is meeting with the senior officers of the 3 authorities to confirm the post.I will stay in touch with many of the SWOne team to see how you progress over the years.I would like to thank you all for your tremendous hard work and dedication to making SWOne a success and I wish you all the very best of luck for the future.And, of course, a Happy Christmas to you and your families.

Best Regards
Richard C Jones
CEO Southwest One

 

Anyway we've all got to stop calling it Southwest One now because it isn't legal. Despite phalanxes of IBM lawyers the idiots formed their dubious firm by buying a company name from Cornwall. They registered South West One Ltd and then started trading as "SouthWest One". Companies House spotted the difference and says its illegal. So now all the notepaper has to be changed. Mogg has the proof.

PS: Believe it or not, the Chief Constable is on the board of this law-breaking mob 

Maybe he should arrest himself?

Thursday November 19th 2009

 

Lib Dem recruit shows true colour (grey)  

From:Stephen Gill - Councillor
Sent: 18 November 2009 11:36
To: Labour Group; Liberal Democrat Group; Conservative Group
Subject:

Dear All

I am writing this to let you all know that there will NOT be a by election in Bridgwater south.  This may disappoint some if not most, but I am determined that I am going to spend the time I have left on the County council, doing the upmost I can to improve things in my division.  A lot of you on all sides, were disappointed that I beat Pat Parker, well welcome to democracy, that’s the way we work in the UK and long may it continue, I will never be like Pat Parker and never would pretend to be, he may have done wonders whilst at County, but he has gone, so come to terms with it.  I am here to do a job and I will do it to the best of my ability, so just let me get on with it.

Regards,

Steve Gill

Mr Gill will now doubt be twittering with his Lib Dem pals. But too many twits........

Friday 13th November 2009

Lucky for some? I doubt it. This week the new blue controllers at County Hall announced the start of a wide-ranging inquiry into how SouthWest One was started. Perhaps I will give evidence! The whole disastrously costly scheme is still causing problems. Only today a local bus company providing transport for County schools told me they hadn't been paid a bean since the start of the school year because of SouthWest One's dismal SAP/ IBM system. The prime driver of this corporate chaos, Alan Jones, was kicked out as Chief Executive of SCC in July. Sadly he has no shame whatsoever. The little man is back, smaller-than-life and twice as creepy, this time selling Google's products. The cheesy video that goes with him was obviously made inside County Hall just before he was forced to quit. Did he bother to get anyone's permission? I think we should be told.

Thursday November 5th 2009

Click on the Guy to read the report that has set tongues a-wagging - but what extraordinary timing! I am already getting into practise for some serious squibbing at the Bridgwater Carnival. Will sparks fly? Watch this space. 

Meanwhile what a difference a year makes:

Twelve months ago Bibic's pool was gutted by fire.

I am looking forward to visiting the completely-refurbished BIBIC pool. Well done everyone.

Monday October 26th 2009

Political defections make easy headlines. But defectors themselves often vanish without trace. The latest, Cllr Stephen Gill, appears to have risen without trace and has suddenly been smitten by the advances of  Cllr Jill Shortland. Wiser men would have run for cover. I trust that he will be able to manage in the dark if his new political ambition  "to shut-down Hinkley Point power station" succeeds. In the meantime he ought to have the courage to resign, cause a by-election and let the people vote again.

Friday October 23rd 2009

I was puzzled to read that SouthWest One is two months overdue filing its returns to Companies House. Computer error, perhaps?

Monday August 24th 2009

 The Daily Mail has been banging on about Quangos for years, but today I launch my personal campaign to quell our worst Quangos. And I invite you all to contribute ideas and evidence. You know where to send it: ianliddellgrainger@hotmail.co.uk

Friday 8th August 2009

I note (with concern) that the late Alan Jones has been boasting to Local Government Chronicle that he has secured paid employment helping to produce a report about local government financial efficiency - part of a government pilot scheme called "Total Place". Given that Mr Jones is an acknowledged "Total Twit" when it came to financial efficiency in Somerset, the 13 pilot areas need to be warned. He may be employed by one of them. Or all of them. Or even none at all (he has a habit of bragging) So keep an eye out for him and let me know.

 

Table of Pilot Areas

Region	Place	Type of Council
South West	Dorset/ Poole Bournemouth	Coastal town MAA
South East	Kent	Two tier/ County
London	Croydon	London Borough
London	Lewisham	Inner London Borough
East	Luton/ Central Beds	Unitary
East Midlands	Leicestershire/ Leicester City	County/ MAA
West Midlands	Coventry	Metropolitan
West Midlands	Worchestershire	County
West Midlands	Birmingham	Unitary
Yorkshire and Humber	Bradford	Metropolitan
North West	10 Manchester LAs and Warrington	City Region
North East	South Tyneside/ Gateshead/ Sunderland	Metropolitan
North East	Durham	Unitary

PS: he also claims to be a "cloud computing" consultant. Lord help us.

Tuesday August 5th 2009

Imitation (so they say) is the sincerest form of flattery. I was tipped off about a rival website outfit that answers to the name of IBMwatch. It seems to be cribbing a lot of information from us. Take a look for yourself. This is the price we innovators have to pay!