The new Conservative administration on Bath and North East Somerset Council has launched a major 'External Review' of the way the Authority manages the delivery of major Council projects like traffic schemes and road improvements.
The review will be undertaken by external experts and comes in the wake of what Conservatives call a series of long delays to a number of major projects undertaken by the previous Liberal Democrat administration.
Conservatives say the aim of the review will be to get to the bottom of why so many projects fell so far behind schedule and look at what the Council can do to improve the way it delivers its major projects in the future. The Party say they want to make sure the Council has more robust procedures in place to deal with unexpected problems, as well as a better oversight of major projects to prevent lengthy overruns from happening again.
Conservative Leader of B&NES Council, Cllr Tim Warren, said: "The huge delays to several major transport projects undertaken by the previous Lib-Dem administration have been totally unacceptable, causing months of traffic misery for residents in Bath and the wider area.
"We've got to make sure that robust procedures are in place to prevent this type of thing happening again in future, with better planning and oversight of project delivery within the Council.
"That's why I have asked the Council to undertake this External Review into the way B&NES delivers major projects. It will be undertaken by experts from outside the Council in order to provide an independent view of what the Council could do better in terms of project management and I look forward to seeing the conclusion once the review has been completed."
Speaking about the review this week, Cllr Robin Moss, (Leader of B&NES Labour Group) said: "There are no doubt lessons to be learnt from the former Lib-Dem administration's failure to deliver on numerous transport projects. Never again should residents have to suffer months of gridlock.
"The economic well-being of the whole of B&NES relies on people being able to travel to work quickly and easily and local employers being able to go about their business with the minimum of traffic delay. I hope, however, that the review planned by the new Conservative administration will proceed with minimal delay and at minimal cost, as I'm not persuaded that it needs a panel of experts to tell us that undertaking numerous road projects simultaneously using seemingly unreliable contractors is bound to result in chaos. The Conservatives have promised to get Bath and the wider area moving again, and the Labour Group will be holding them to account for that."
Councillor Dine Romero (Southdown), Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, has also commented on the move. She said: "Since taking office, Conservatives on B&NES Council have announced several reviews of decisions and practices. The cost of all this external consultancy work is a cause for concern, especially given the tight financial situation in which Local Government finds itself. The new administration must commit to transparency in the use of public money and must publish the results of these reviews promptly.
"The delays in some transport projects were caused by unusual circumstances beyond the Council's control – namely the financial difficulties of a contractor. Other transport projects – such as the repair and reopening of Kelston Road were actually completed ahead of schedule."