One of the reasons we have to cut Police and NHS budgets
Discussion
Like a few others, I've been blathering on about the potential cost to the taxpayer of the PFI orgy that Labour embarked upon from 1997.
PFI wasn’t new in 97, but it was closely watched and only used where it made sense.
Signing any agreement that means paying £22 for a light bulb, is in my opinion a fantastically incompetent and short sighted move.
So next time you hear somebody bemoaning the coalition government for having to impose budget constraints, just remind them that one of the reasons the tax funded public sector are spending £170,000,000,000.00 more than their budget every year, is because some d
head approved an agreement allowing the property management / PFI co. a two thousand percent profit on every single fecking lighbulb that needed replacing and that’s just one little example
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/836...
There will of course be the obligatory post by some loony, who thinks it’s the fault of the people trying ot balance the budget, rather than the people who signed the agreement / allowed budgets to get out of control in the first place. . . . . . .
PFI wasn’t new in 97, but it was closely watched and only used where it made sense.
Signing any agreement that means paying £22 for a light bulb, is in my opinion a fantastically incompetent and short sighted move.
So next time you hear somebody bemoaning the coalition government for having to impose budget constraints, just remind them that one of the reasons the tax funded public sector are spending £170,000,000,000.00 more than their budget every year, is because some d
head approved an agreement allowing the property management / PFI co. a two thousand percent profit on every single fecking lighbulb that needed replacing and that’s just one little examplehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/836...
There will of course be the obligatory post by some loony, who thinks it’s the fault of the people trying ot balance the budget, rather than the people who signed the agreement / allowed budgets to get out of control in the first place. . . . . . .
Fittster said:
AndrewW-G said:
PFI wasn’t new in 97, but it was closely watched and only used where it made sense.
Who was it watched by and can you provide examples where it made sense? AndrewW-G said:
National Audit Office
Ah yes, the National Audit Office, so good at being rude about the Ministry of Defence of late.Interesting then that the head of the NAO is a Mr Amyas Morse, who before he joined the NAO spent four years as the Commercial Director for the MOD.
So every time he says "they're s
t", what he's really doing is marking his own homework, and saying HE got it wrong...andymadmak said:
As I understand it, PFI was invented in Australia (?) or some such place. It was originally conceived as a way of funding capital expenditure projects that had revenue earning potential - ie, toll roads, bridges etc, where the higher costs could be covered by the fees paid by users.
Yes, it always confused the hell out of me that it ever got used on schools or hospitals.As you say, it was just a means for Liebor to hide a ton of
AndrewW-G said:
There will of course be the obligatory post by some loony, who thinks it’s the fault of the people trying ot balance the budget, rather than the people who signed the agreement / allowed budgets to get out of control in the first place. . . . . . .
I'm happy for you to think I'm a "loony" provided I retain the right to moan about the choices that the current Govt makes. If they cut something I think is important, whilst spending on something that I think is a waste, I'll moan. 
Jasandjules said:
PFI - the way to borrow now knowing that you won't be in power when it needs repaying (so not your problem).. Those who dropped the entire country in this debt black hole should be tried for treason.
But they'll make millions on the 'speaking' circuit instead, with no worries about having to answer for the mess they caused.Why does it take an article to realise that people in government and local authorities don't know the meaning of money? They think they have a continuous stream of cash that they can spend on anything they like (branded chocolates, anyone?) and so crunch-time comes when they start losing their jobs... hmm so maybe it is their own fault that they are being made redundant... or maybe their managers' fault as they are the ones who are responsible for the budget ("which must be spent by the end of the financial year, so anyone need a new iPad or a 30" LCD TV? How about a giant poster of a happy person?") (Have you seen Epsom council offices? I do like the indoors "mews" style of the reception area; it's quite funky... I'm glad they spent the money well. 
)
Anyway, maybe it seemed obvious to me but then I'm a tight-fisted git so know about not spending money... which means I can really put the thumbscrews on service providers' sales people when negotiating good rates for my employer. Actually, most people don't know how to spend wisely or we wouldn't be in this fking financial mess. Oh, sorry, I mean greedy bankers, it's all their fault. 
)Anyway, maybe it seemed obvious to me but then I'm a tight-fisted git so know about not spending money... which means I can really put the thumbscrews on service providers' sales people when negotiating good rates for my employer. Actually, most people don't know how to spend wisely or we wouldn't be in this f
king financial mess. Oh, sorry, I mean greedy bankers, it's all their fault. Edited by RemainAllHoof on Friday 4th March 10:07
Elroy Blue said:
What's PFI got to do with Police budgets?
PFI has sucked millions out of the money available to government and local councils. It will continue to do so, in some cases for the next thirty years. If that money was available it is fairly obvious many of the proposed cuts would not be needed.
I know this is the Grauniad and apologies for that but linky
Some selected highlights.
Jimmy's new place in Leeds has a very big mortgage on it.
£220m Bexley Wing cancer centre at Leeds' St James's University Hospital – commonly known as Jimmy's.
It will eventually cost more than five times the original price of the building, and last until 2037 and is costing £3m a month to service.
The Treasury claims that it will have cost £1.24 billion by 2041 but the health trust claims that the figure is lower than that because the deal ends in 2037 and the equipment deal ends in 2022, and expects to pay only ffs only!!! a total of £696m by 2037, at 2010-11 prices and deducting recoverable VAT. Covers maintenance and build cost.
In August, the BBC found that NHS projects valued at £11.3bn are set to cost the health service £65.1bn.
Bit of Daily Mail style quoting in there tbh.
Some selected highlights.
Jimmy's new place in Leeds has a very big mortgage on it.
£220m Bexley Wing cancer centre at Leeds' St James's University Hospital – commonly known as Jimmy's.
It will eventually cost more than five times the original price of the building, and last until 2037 and is costing £3m a month to service.
The Treasury claims that it will have cost £1.24 billion by 2041 but the health trust claims that the figure is lower than that because the deal ends in 2037 and the equipment deal ends in 2022, and expects to pay only ffs only!!! a total of £696m by 2037, at 2010-11 prices and deducting recoverable VAT. Covers maintenance and build cost.
In August, the BBC found that NHS projects valued at £11.3bn are set to cost the health service £65.1bn.
Bit of Daily Mail style quoting in there tbh.
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