Thanks to the Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats for this story. Richmond upon Thames council, like a lot of other local authorities, funded the Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) to support and train people in small, local voluntary organisations and charities. The CVS branches usually consist of paid professionals helped by volunteers. They are probably not experienced in drawing up bids for contracts to do the work. So when Richmond Council, led by Conservative peer Lord True, decided to put the work out to contract for £85,000 the CVS lost - to the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI). Not A4e - or not quite. The FSI is the creation of Emma Harrison and has received £1m from A4e. Harrison is Chair of the Trustees (although the piece on the website about her doesn't mention A4e) and two other A4e directors, Jo Blundell and Andrew Dutton, are also trustees. It's a registered charity, and it was originally about helping small charities to raise funds. Now it is obviously using the bid-writing skills of A4e; it is based at A4e's Westminster offices, so it would be silly not to. As Lib Dem leader on the council, Stephen Knight, says: "It beggars belief that Richmond council is intent on handing a contract to the A4e group of organisations, while the government and police are investigating evidence of widespread fraud and mismanagement. Local residents will be shocked that the Tories are intent of pulling funding from the local Council for Voluntary Service and instead handing a contract to a scandal-hit organisation based in Westminster."
There's an interesting piece on the Morning Star website (scroll down) headed "A4E isn't always terrible. Sometimes it is just mediocre." A4e was hired to train 30,000 childminders in 2004, and the writer has got hold of an evaluation of the contract carried out by consultants PriceWaterhouseCoopers. It's not good. In fact, it's pretty grim.
Most of the newspapers have reported the story we took from Exaro yesterday about A4e being the preferred bidder for another contract, to run the Equalities and Human Rights Commission's helpline. The Daily Mail takes the opportunity to re-run its previous graphics on A4e, but also quotes Margaret Hodge as saying: "This belies common sense. There are so many question marks about this company’s competence and integrity that I can’t believe any government department is thinking of signing another contract with them. The Home Office should hold off from making any decision until the investigations have been completed."
PS. I read the latest Private Eye after posting the first paragraph above. They have the story; but they also show that A4e used the FSI to help win the Work Programme contracts - the "bid candy" which the charities claim they became for the prime providers. The Eye has also set its sights on another prime, Working Links, recalling a leaked "compliance visit" report last year which showed that Working Links in Liverpool had made 85 claims for outcomes which it was not entitled to.
Someone Upthere or Downthere must like a4e. Any other company or organisation doing this would have a hold placed on them.
ReplyDeleteI am astonished. As an A4E customer, what am I going to tell a prospective employer? "'Ere, Guv. I am a Work Programme customer of A4E. You know - the company that has been hit by one scandal after another recently. Them. Nonetheless, I am an A4E customer, not an A4E employee or ex-employee. So gissa job, Guv, and help me to escape from this on-going scandal that has absolutely NOTHING to do with me, I promise you, Guv" ???
ReplyDeleteThe Government (in particular that bloke Greyling) does not seem to have even the slightest concern for the way that he is dragging me into this god-awful mess.
I believe that, as one of A4E's customers, my own reputation for integrity is being compromised by the on-gping mess with A4E. I ansolutely agree that many of A4E's staff are honest and upright citizens themselves but so am I and what about me too?
A fortnight ago, my A4E advisor told me that he was going to park me on a company called Ixion, which is one of A4E's subcontractors, apparently. He said that a man from Ixion would phone me. I am still waiting...
Is this efficient? When I have heard nothing from A4E since or from Ixion?
I would guess that my A$E advisor thinks he has parked me onto somebody else so that A4E can now wash their own hands of me. My signing on-time at the Job Centre happens to be on a Friday afternoon, so the chances of getting any of the Job Centre people jumping around to help me are zero. Meanwhile, the only thing I have heard from Ixion so far is Deafening Silence, in spite of my having e-mailed them myself and backed up the A4E man by asking Ixion to get someone to telephone me, as promised by A4E.
It is ridiculous. In Ixion's shoes I would have severe doubts about A4E but nobody has seen fit to tell me anything in this so-called "tailor-made" Work Programme.
I've had this from an agency already.
Delete"Oh, you did voluntary work [reception] with A4E? I suggest you take that off your CV because it really doesn't look good. And I suggest you try and find another referee who isn't an A4E employee if at all possible"
Since the reception work was the most recent thing listed on the CV, A4E were listed as my most recent referee. Needless to say, I have removed the information.
Why am i not surprised....A4e's reputation is shot (made sure i checked the spelling LOL). and anyone linked to them will be tarred with the same brush.. I wouldnt be surprised anyone with a4e on their cv will be penalised.
DeleteSince we're into pedantry, do you think you could find the shift key more often, particularly for the first person pronoun :)
DeleteWhen the verb "to lead" is in the past tense, it is spelled "led", not "lead" like a pencil. c.f. "Richmond Council, lead by Conservative peer Lord True,"
ReplyDeleteI bet you write to Pedantry Corner in Private Eye! It's a good job I don't publish corrections to everyone's comments.
DeleteI'm a big fan of pedantry corner ;)
DeleteSomeone seriously needs to update Miss Harrisons own CBE self promoting website page seeing as the tagline says it will tell you all about the work she is currently doing with A4e and the FSI - Ummm that would bee nothing at the moment wouldn't it Emma?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.emma-harrison.com/
Well, they still have her picture up in my local A4e, as if she was someone important. I'm waiting for it to be taken down now she has resigned as chairman.
DeleteA seriously bizarre set of affairs, in a 'free market' a company with such a poor record and tarnished reputation would not be winning business.
ReplyDeleteI know of other well-run CVS in need of revenue who have lost out in similar ways. You do have to ask what is going on and what else is at play?
The CVS and Volunteer England route is probably a more useful and positive way of gaining temporary experience. Of course, not much hope of playing the tough government dealing with the 3m benefit scroungers.