BALFOUR BEATTY TO CLOSE ROSS DEPOT & REDUNDANCIES

[lpusseycat]

The depot in Ross is to close and voluntary redundancies have been asked for, we are not going to get what we have paid for . They cannot cope with what they have got so Herefordshire could be in for a rough ride when this goes ahead.which will be within the next 6 months.

[Denise Lloyd]

Bromyard too

[Ubique]

Isn't it about time that the Council realise that they should revert back to the old days when they , the Council controlled , supervised etc etc the Highways employees - perhaps I am wrong but I don't think so !

[twowheelsgood]

Without a doubt the Amey deal was a terrible, terrible deal for Herefordshire - not only whilst they were here, but now they've gone we are facing a major High Court case against them over a disputed £40m, as yet unpaid, for which the Council has set aside £3.5m for legal costs, with a warning that more will be required. What is unarguable is that this situation would never have arisen had the service stayed in house. Of the £2-300m paid to Amey at least 25% of that would have been profit - £50m or more that could have been spent on essential services rather than going to shareholders. Now we see the same happening with BBLP - it's parent company BB are struggling and have been for years. The true cost of these deals I suspect we will never know - but we can see the result with decimated services. When will common sense prevail?

[megilleland]

BBC News 19th January 2016

Balfour Beatty pays £137,000 to whistleblower

 

Construction contractor Balfour Beatty has paid out a six-figure sum to a whistleblower who accused the firm of ripping off taxpayers.

 

Nigel McArthur, from Devon, claimed he was hounded out by his bosses after he made a protected disclosure about an £18.5m office building project in Cardiff.

 

The firm admitted liability for unfairly dismissing him.

 

The company paid £137,000 before the case was due to be heard at a tribunal.

 

The Welsh government awarded a contract to Balfour Beatty to construct a building in Callaghan Square as part of a regeneration on a vacant site.

 

The project was later halted but the firm was paid about £600,000 for work carried out.

 

The whistleblower said the firm's true sub-contract costs had been hidden, and its profit margins increased from an agreed 3.3% to 7.34% because it submitted the lowest quotes from sub-contractors.

 

Pre-construction manager Mr McArthur, 56, from Exmouth, said he reported his findings to his line manager but "was told that he should not have investigated the costs or alternatively that he should not be concerned about it".

 

'Provided full disclosure'

Mr McArthur, who has not worked since he quit the firm in February 2015, said he was later bullied.

 

His solicitor, Terry Falcao, of Stephens and Scown, said the claim was brought in February 2015, and was met with denials until last November, just two weeks before a full five-day hearing was due.

 

Balfour Beatty admitted liability with the caveat that it had not carried out criminal activity or breached legal obligations.

 

It said it regretted that it "failed to properly support our employee following concerns they raised".

 

It added it also "provided full disclosure to the Welsh Assembly who were satisfied with our approach".

 

The Welsh government did not comment.