Agenda item

9.48pm – Councillor Andrew Johnson moved, seconded by Councillor Greg Smith, the special motion standing in their names:

“This Council notes:

1.            The concerns raised by the Local Government Association that “ridiculous EU procurement rules are making it harder for councils to save money by sharing services”.

2.            That opportunities to promote local jobs and economic growth are being missed, and the opaque internal market regulations are standing in the way of delivery of better value for money to taxpayers by local authorities in the UK.

3.            That the proposed reform of the current procurement regime by the European Union risks making matters “even more convoluted and costly” for local government, by “making it virtually impossible for councils to give preference to local suppliers” and “force those wishing to pool services with neighbouring local authorities into an unnecessarily lengthy and costly EU-wide tendering process”.

4.            That millions of pounds in additional savings would be created through shared service agreements if more appropriate EU reforms were introduced.

This Council calls on government:

1.            To take the fight to Brussels on behalf of the residents of Hammersmith & Fulham to promote a re-write of the rules stifling public service innovation.

2.            To allow more freedom to award contracts to local suppliers, including relaxing rules that demand that procurement contracts to employee organisations or staff mutuals must be opened to providers across Europe.

3.            To increase the “ludicrously low” £170,000 procurement threshold above which local government has to open contracts to the entire EU.”

Speeches on the special motion were made by Councillors Andrew Johnson and Greg Smith (for the Administration) before it was put to the vote:

FOR                            27

AGAINST                   12

NOT VOTING0

The motion was declared CARRIED.

10pm – RESOLVED:

This Council notes:

1.            The concerns raised by the Local Government Association that “ridiculous EU procurement rules are making it harder for councils to save money by sharing services”.

2.            That opportunities to promote local jobs and economic growth are being missed, and the opaque internal market regulations are standing in the way of delivery of better value for money to taxpayers by local authorities in the UK.

3.            That the proposed reform of the current procurement regime by the European Union risks making matters “even more convoluted and costly” for local government, by “making it virtually impossible for councils to give preference to local suppliers” and “force those wishing to pool services with neighbouring local authorities into an unnecessarily lengthy and costly EU-wide tendering process”.

4.            That millions of pounds in additional savings would be created through shared service agreements if more appropriate EU reforms were introduced.

This Council calls on government:

1.            To take the fight to Brussels on behalf of the residents of Hammersmith & Fulham to promote a re-write of the rules stifling public service innovation.

2.            To allow more freedom to award contracts to local suppliers, including relaxing rules that demand that procurement contracts to employee organisations or staff mutuals must be opened to providers across Europe.

3.            To increase the “ludicrously low” £170,000 procurement threshold above which local government has to open contracts to the entire EU.