Lews Castle
There are, I am very reliably told, two contenders for the contract.
One local, one not.
The contract has not been awarded yet, but is imminent. Please hold any indignation until we know if it is appropriate or not.
One local, one not.
The contract has not been awarded yet, but is imminent. Please hold any indignation until we know if it is appropriate or not.
15 comments:
hmmm.
In the space of 4/5 years there will be a spend of roughly £80 million on building contracts in the Western Isles, and yet local builders scrabble for work, and a lot of our workforce sit at home.
"Working together for the Western Isles" I think not.
Lews Castle was given to the people of the Western Isles, and it is worth remembering that the Comhairle hold it in trust on our behalf. Should one of the islands' key assets remain in control of the Comhairle when they have allowed it to languish on the Buildings at Risk register for the past 20 years? In an economy dominated by the Comhairle and public subsidy, what type of contractor can the Comhairle hope to attract to run the only option they have come up with for crumbling Lews Castle - a hotel, effectively placing this community asset in private hands. How long before signs of decay start to appear again?
Given the track record regarding contractors and the overall lack of strategic vision of the Comhairle, Lews Castle was hardly likely to attract any significant or serious business interest in a society so heavily dependent on subsidy and grants(apparently/allegedly there has only ever been 2 interested parties). After all this is effectively a business partnership with the Comhairle - and Comhairle credibility is zero. No-one trusts them after BCCI when £24,085,075 of Comhairle money disappeared, representing more than £1000 for each registered voter. The total BCCI loss from 32 public bodies around the UK was not more than £19 million. When financial competence comes into question, suspicion and pessimism dominate.
Rightly or wrongly, European procurement legislation dictates the requirement for a competitive 'level playing field' irrespective of location or local need. That's why mainland contractors face competition from German, Dutch or other non-UK based companies. Jobs should not be awarded out of any bias but on the basis of ability, cost and quality and it's on those levels people need to learn to compete.
This and the post regarding the business gateway are a summation of how the Comhairle are treating "local" businesses with total disdain.
There seems to be a will to put as much money as possible off the island with non Island firms and I really don't understand why. Almost a deliberate attempt to see as many businesses fail as possible.
I know a certain leader was quoted a couple of years ago to say that the local construction industry had, had it good for too long and it was about time that they were shown a lesson.
Why is it such a bad thing that the Comhairle have supported the local construction industry for a long time, what else is there to build up here and even more so now that no-one can get mortgages to build.
The rot is so deep seeded I don't know what has to be done, short of detonating a nuclear device over the White House.
If this council's past decisions are anything to go by, then its a formality for the company that is not local!!
Reaching a stage that it wont be worth while, local companies tendering for work that the local authority has anything to do with. Shocking to say the least, will be no local employment on the island at this rate
So Patton have it,worse still, the word on the street is that the next phase will be negotiated with them, should funding come through,local content will be minimal as local contractors cannot afford to work under the conditions imposed with rock bottom prices.
6:04 If you believe that this council follows any form of legislation you must also believe in pixies and flying pigs.
A hotel? Once again the Council is subsidising a venture which is in direct competition with local businesses that are struggling to survive. Lanntair, Media Centre, what next?
2.03
All the 'lost' BCCI money was paid back by the Bank's backers - although I'll grant you that this was fortuitous and did not excuse the Council's initial actions.
Well said, 6.04pm.
Quote "local content will be minimal as local contractors cannot afford to work under the conditions imposed with rock bottom prices"
Is that why Neil Mackay, O'mac, Bardons, Macinnes Bros and many others have successfully worked on the schools project?
Have any of you actually asked our local contractors how awful it is to "work" for our schools builders. They put their invoices in and then get nickle and dimed for every penny, money held back for no reason, jumping through hoops and made to feel like 3rd hand citizens and thankful that they get to pick up the morsels of their large pay checks.
Unfortunately, they are the only game in town thanks to our Comhairle, so they don't have a choice if they want to put food on their table and keep their guys employed.
Any contractor operating a contract of this size would behave in exactly the same manner, irrespective of location.
The schools project is additional capital expenditure which hasn't replaced anything else or meant other projects have been set aside. Imagine how tough it might be in a years time when they are all finished
WANT YOUR JOBS TO GO TO MAINLAND, VOTE SNP. INDEPENDENCE AIRSON AN RUBHA.
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