The consultant drafted in to make savings on the Isle of Wight highways PFI contract has been paid almost £130,000 in the last eight months — more than the amount needed to staff the Island’s CCTV control room for a year.
Last week the Isle of Wight Council announced the Island’s CCTV cameras will no longer be regularly monitored, as part of and £11.4 million cuts package.
All five control room posts, at Island Roads’ Newport headquarters, will be axed under the plans.
Annual staff costs less than PFI consultant’s 8 months
However, staff have expressed anger that the amount needed to fund the five posts for a year — £120,000 — is less than the amount paid to former council officer turned private consultant, Jay Jayasundara of Jasmine Consulting.
The consultant was paid almost £130,000 for eight months’ work fixing the contract he put together — and will remain on the council’s payroll for another year.
The majority of control room staff are members of Unison.
Chiverton: Staff are devastated
Unison branch secretary Mark Chiverton said:
“They feel they run a really good cost effective service doing a great job for the Isle of Wight.
“They are devastated about this whole thing and the fact this consultant is paid this amount has really poured petrol on the flames.
“They are frustrated and angry.”
£16k savings for every £1 paid to consultant
The council said hiring Mr Jayasundara represented ‘an excellent use of the council’s money’.
A spokesperson for the council said:
“For every £1 the council has paid Jasmine Consulting to date, the company is expected to return more than £16,000 in savings.
“This shows we have procured the right company to achieve our objective.”
Breakdown not available
When asked for a list of specific savings that will be made, the council was unable to provide one.
The council hopes to save around £40 million over the lifetime of the contract, and will be working to identify further savings that can be implemented from April 2020.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may be been made by OnTheWight. Ed
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