As unions gather for the start of the TUC in Brighton today, UNISON chief Dave Prentis is calling on the Government to set up an independent inquiry into privatisation. The call comes in the wake of a ComRes* poll for UNISON, that reveals widespread public concerns about private companies providing public services, as well as support for greater scrutiny and limits on the profits of private companies providing public services.
A wide-ranging inquiry should have the power to require all parties involved in public services contracting to give evidence, as well as receiving representations from wider civil society.
Trends highlighted by recent headline cases such as G4S go far wider and reinforce what is clearly now a greater public concern – that privatisation and outsourcing carry hidden costs to the taxpayer, have serious implications for the quality of our public services, and have a harmful impact on the incomes of millions of hard working people.
The poll shows that while only one in five (20%) believe that privatisation has led to better quality services to the public, nearly three times as many (55%) believe that public services are of worse quality under privatisation.
It reveals widespread cross party support for increased scrutiny into government spending on private contracts