Credibility questions over staff proposals

Credibility questions over staff proposals

22 February 2012 - by DAVID TELFORD

COSTINGS produced by a leading government agency to help justify proposals to transfer 33 finance staff from Downpatrick to Ballymena have been branded “misleading.”

Down Council has this week questioned the figures produced by the Business Services Organisation (BSO), suggesting they “call into serious question” the credibility of the agency’s consultation exercise.

Consultation on the BSO proposal is due to end next Wednesday, February 29, but Down Council says in view of the information it has uncovered, further time must be made available to “allow reliable figures to be calculated.”

The BSO proposal to transfer staff based at Bernagh House at the Downshire Hospital is part of a radical shake-up of administration services across the Province aimed at saving an estimated £10m over the next decade.

At the heart of the Down Council’s concern are BSO costs concerning the refurbishment of the finance staff’s existing base and nearby premises at the Downshire site formerly used by the South Eastern Regional College.

It has been estimated by the BSO that the cost of refurbishing property at the Downshire would be in the region of £1,500 to £1,800 per square metre, but Down Council has revealed building experts estimate the cost to be £700 per square metre.

The BSO argues its figures effectively rule out the Downshire as a preferred centre for shared services, despite the excellent performance of its finance staff currently based in Downpatrick.

Down Council has confirmed it is challenging the BSO assertion after it secured the disclosure of additional documents referred to in the consultation document. The council says it has discovered what it believes to be “misleading figures” used by the government agency.

A council spokesman continued: “According to building industry experts, a

more realistic figure for upgrading Bernagh House and the former college building at the Downshire is around £700 per square metre, not the £1,500 to £1800 used in the consultation document.

“In addition, new build costs in the current competitive building sector would be only around £800 per square metre. It is also clear from our inquiries that the South Eastern Trust was not involved in costing the proposals for their own buildings at the Downshire. The Trust has also rejected assertions that its staff were involved in supplying condition surveys for the local buildings.”

A spokeswoman for the Downshire finance staff said the work undertaken by local council officials proves that the BSO is “determined to relocate jobs away from Downpatrick.”

She argued the BSO’s “inflated figures” to justify its case provide evidence that there is a determination to make the Downpatrick location appear to be uneconomic.

“Neither the Department of Health nor the BSO were willing to explain how they arrived at such a high figure for refurbishing office accommodation in Downpatrick. The Department thought they would fool us into believing this was a scientific costing exercise.”

The spokeswoman said the refusal to provide a detailed breakdown of the capital costs confirms “these are little more than convenient figures designed to provide a cover story for an unfair decision.”