A few people appear to have been wrong-footed by today's news that the Service@Swansea project has been ditched - along with its name - in favour of a bargain basement product provided by the cleverer folk at Cardiff Council.Strangely, this somewhat significant bit of backtracking doesn't warrant a mention on the Burnt Turkey spin-site, who are blathering on to themselves about investment, or even the Council's official version.
Then again, you would expect a certain amount of distancing to be involved as the muted blame game begins in the local press who so far think everyone is at fault. In the good old days, the Beans on Toast would have been demanding cabinet heads on spikes but things seem to have changed - for whatever reason.
And if someone does start asking awkward questions about how contracts were approved then what's the betting that the original options report will end up getting mislaid?
Update: For ourselves, we quite like the comments expressed by J.Atherton of Mumbles who uses the EP website to state:
"Getting rid of the Service@Swansea name will not get rid of the bad smell that this expensive fiasco will leave behind. Politicians may think they can cover over the traces but the taxpayers will remember come election time".
Further update: As the Lib Dem retro-rationalisation continues, we thought it would be appropriate to reproduce this posting of less than a year ago from their now defunct Inside Swansea Council blogsite. We think the title is particularly apt in the circumstances.
Friday, April 28, 2006
No credibility
Labour's latest claim that the Service@Swansea programme is a failure is a bit premature even by their standards. Yes, millions have been spent but the Council is still on course to achieve its target savings and to deliver the required efficiencies and improvements in service. (Yeah, right).
There will also be a massively improved interface with the public that will transform the Council's customer service record. (but not anymore)
The real question that needs to be answered on this issue is with all their flip-flops and inability to understand the financing of e-government, do Labour have any credibility left in commenting on this matter? Alas for them the answer is 'no'.
posted by Insider at 6:22 AM
(Alternatively, the real question might be "what the hell have you been doing for the last three years"?)
