Watching Them

I've previously written about A4E, pondering exactly how they seemingly manage the impossible and are able to get jobs for the unemployable. Well, we all know now that some 'creative accounting' was involved and their fall from grace has been spectacular, loosing a major contract in the South East and no doubt with more bad news to follow shortly. 

But, as they say, as one door closes, another opens and I notice that the big boys are moving into this lucrative field. Interserve announced on May 4th that they had taken over BEST a small provider of welfare-to-work services in Yorkshire, no doubt as a precurser to using the expertise gained in order to scoop up contracts that might suddenly be made available.

It's becoming increasingly clear that a small group of mega private companies are going to be running vast parts of our public services, from hospitals to prisons to probation and police even. Maybe whole Local Authorities might be contracted out soon. The same mysterious-sounding names crop up up all over the place, G4S, Serco, Interserve, Capita etc, but where's the accountability? Who's watching them and what they get up to?

In this vein I was interested to come across this website with a handle that explains it all - 'Watching A4E'. I think we need a few more in the 'Watching .....' series.