Welfare reform: private sector isn’t working….

Well, who could have predicted that the private companies contracted to deliver Pathways to Work is an unmitigated disaster.

Under data released by a freedom of information request it shows that the private sector is running 73% short of its target..!! Programmes have delivered 60% of the expected jobs in the six months to September 2008, while consuming 98% of the expected expenditure.

Responding to the figures, Chris Melvin, chief executive of Reed in Partnership, one of the providers, said ‘People are losing money on these contacts, quite seriously. The majority, if not all, of the providers will be losing money.’ The deals were signed before the economy turned, he said, and it would be ‘a logical conclusion’ that providers had ‘priced too low and promised too good a performance.’

And further woes for NL  as the DWP has halted the tendering process for the Flexible New Deal because of the current economic crisis. The reason being is that the number entering Phase 1 of the Flexible New Deal is likely to be up to 300% greater than originally anticipated.

The DWP advises: there will be a short pause in the competition to enable us to jointly consider the impact and options to address the financial challenges in the initial phase of the contract.

But never fear the DWP remains committed to beginning delivery of the Flexible New Deal from 1 October 2009.

Will NL learn that privatisation and contracting out public services doesn’t work…..

Let it snow, let it snow…

Well, capitalism nil, workers 1…..

And I am sure business and commerce organisations will be complaining about productivity lost due to today’s snow. The transport infrastructure was paralysed today.

No buses…trains or anything. Cars getting stuck crawling up the hill near where I live. But lots of very happy adults and kids in my local park. Snowball fights, building snowman, sledging down the hills, snowboarding……beats working..!! 

Even the Victorian sculptures of  dinosaurs on the banks of the lake looked bemused covered in snow. They will have to fight Doug McClure and Rod Taylor (special effects by Ray Harryhausen) another day!

Anyway, am out of food…. panic panic panic…Food parcels to SE20 please….. Honestly, a couple inches of snow and everything collapses. Fortunately, HarpyMarx has not so far fallen on her arse staggering through the snow like something out of Scott of the Antarctic…though she is nipping out for some milk and might be some time….

Due to adverse weather conditions….

Yes, it’s snowing. No trains, no buses….no nothing. I staggered up to the train station at 6:45am because I had a session with my personal trainer at the gym (she’s an evil nice woman!). But alas, nowt was going train wise in any direction. Couple of cars on the road were getting stuck up the hill outside the train station. There was commuter camaraderie, people passing on information about there being no trains. The local Tesco was open, queues of people buying mainly milk (rather like me…).

One young woman was heading towards the station and asked whether there were any trains. When heard there wasn’t, she ran shouting..’Woohoo no work’! And the bloke she was with replied with relish, ‘Back to bed then’…. Both did a little dance in the snow (wish I had my camera to document spontaneity). Anyway, it made me laugh watching them as it is one way of conquering the Monday blues of life and never ending rat race. Snow….

I can’t get into work as the buses have been suspended and still no trains. Just about thawed out and am waiting for the Protestant work ethic to kick in………(you can take the woman out of the prod but can you take the prod out of the woman…?)

Well, here are some pix outside my flat at 7am….