Labour has been accused of putting the fox in charge of the chickens by allowing officials to commission an inquiry into the home to school transport fiasco.
The claim was made by Conservative councillor Lee Wares who asked for a cross-party scrutiny panel made up three councillors – one Labour, one Tory and one Green – to be given the task.
But he fell foul of Brighton and Hove City Council’s procedural rules and was told that his request should have been made to a committee that met the day before (Monday 16 September).
And he was accused by Labour and the Greens of being “disingenuous” when he made his request to the council’s Audit and Standards Committee at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday 17 September).
Councillor Wares was responding to an internal audit into “the decisions surrounding the recent home to school transport procurement” which has left dozens of children without transport or, according to parents, without safe transport.
Councillor Wares asked for the audit, along with the former Conservative council leader Mary Mears, in early July when the two councillors warned about “avoidable risks to the proper delivery of the service that will negatively impact children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and vulnerable adults”.
When the new school term started, their worst fears were realised as transport contractors taken on using the new “dynamic purchasing system” pulled out at short notice.
Dozens of children were left without transport to school – the council put the number at 30 and said yesterday that it was down to 25.
But parents and carers said that many more were being taken to and from school in unsuitable vehicles or in ways that were unsafe.
The council has given an unreserved apology and promised that the problems will be put right within four weeks.
Councillor Wares told the Audit and Standards Committee: “Yesterday, in response to the grave issues raised by Councillor Mears and I, Labour declared that it is tasking officers to invite another local authority to investigate the school transport debacle.
“This is simply not good enough. For weeks we have been bombarded with complaints about the service, the administration, the council and officers.
“For months we have been warning of the issues that now exist and we still have no answers to questions we raise.
“Last night we heard the council say sorry then promptly blame everybody else. We heard Labour say how they would oversee the investigation and anybody with concerns should send them to officers to process.
“I cast no aspersions but you could forgive anybody for thinking that the fox has been put in charge of the chickens.
“If an investigation is to be truly independent and transparent, that everybody will have confidence and trust in, anybody involved with the subject of the investigation should have nothing to do with the investigating.
Could this be a chance for a Class Action case against the Council and finally bring out in the open what Council Officers are really up to. If you do not send your child to school you face the wrath of Court Action why not the same for the Council.
So why do Councillors West, Litminan, Hamilton and Robins want to bury the entire process. Are they worried that the electorate will find out that Edge Solutions is receiving £500,000 to penny pinch and cost cut on a vital service for some of the cities most vulnerable children. Shame on all councillors who are using SEN children as a political football. Get it sorted and then swift and fairly find out how it went so critically wrong.